Jasper Could be Romeo
by lostmidtranslation
Summary: Even Numbers. She was new. she'd been staring me in the face all this time... Great." Jasper falls for the newest human in class, all because of their English Lit project on Romeo and Juliet's balcony scene... T for language... JasperXOC
1. Jasper's Interested

DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing.

Hope you enjoy – Although I love Jasper/Alice fics, I wanted to see Jasper falling in love with a human, kind of by accident

-x-

_**Jasper's POV**_

It didn't bother me anymore. It's fantastic. Alice was out of my love life forever.

Listen, it's not as if I don't love her or anything, because she'll always be, like, my best friend and all that, but… I'm just not into superficiality. It's gotten me into too much trouble before. And I can only take so much shopping and redecorating before I feel suicidal. Sixty years of it… is kind of too much.

And _maybe_… I'm not saying it's true, or anything, but… _maybe_… I like a human.

_Maybe_.

-x-

I sit down in English Lit with Emmet as usual, one seat behind her. She was probably one of the most interested in the class, but she didn't really care about stuff like Math or Physics. I couldn't stand the sciences. Literature and history… and a little bit of politics, that was me. I sat two across from her in History, one in front of her in Math but we're in different classes for everything else.

I liked to listen to her thoughts through Edward's handwriting, she didn't seem to work logically, and that, I hope, was what he thought my interest in her stemmed from - I didn't really want him to know about my… interest in her.

The lesson was the same as usual - she flicked through the pages and half listened, Edward was transcribing her interesting thoughts as she thought them.

_**Can't we get a better piece? This is so… hmm… actually; I suppose the lead is… fit in the videos. I guess that can hold me in good stead. Romeo's just a pig. (She's put on a stupid voice) I want you, no, you, you'll do, and I'll die for you. Really sensible. I wouldn't want anyone to die for me, either.**_

I folded my arms and sat back in my seat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," She snapped up in her seat, suddenly finding an interest in the lesson, "As you know, part of your course is graded on your speaking and listening skills, and I'm pretty set on you starting now. So I've divided the play into enough parts for you guys to work in pairs and prepare a fifteen minute presentation on your section-" I stopped listening.

Alice would be paired with Edward, as usual, Emmet with Rosalie, I would be the odd one out, as usual, an awkward conversation would ensue, could I join a pair, perhaps? Of course, I'd join either Edward or Alice, or Rose and Emmet.

Only when I snapped out of my stupor to look around the room, did I find my jaw dropping in horror.

Even numbers. She was new. She had been staring me in the face all this time. Damnit! She was there… she was new, and she was foreign, somewhere European - I hadn't spoken to her to hear her accent yet, and I was about to be stuck with a human because of her.

Damn her.

"Ben, would you work with Mr Crowley?" Tyler and Ben high-fived and half-whooped. I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Alice, if you would work with Rosalie, please, Edward, Emmet?" Oh, bugger. There was a long pause as she considered the rest of the class. Everyone was paired off one by one, I would take anyone in the class right now… anyone but her. My panic must have been affecting Edward; he must have been able to hear me panicking in my head.

"Calm down." He hissed at me. I shrugged, "She's only human."

"Mr Hale…" I looked up; our teacher was skimming her fingers down the register to find me a partner, "Hmm…" _Oh, for god's sake, woman, decide, won't you? _

"Ms. Daniels?"

"Graye, would you work with Jasper, please?" She looked up at the sound of her name, the poor human, and looked straight at me, her eyes wide. And blushed. Dark.

"Yes miss," She whispered, blinking twice, "Course miss."

-x-

I sat down beside her at lunch; she had her math textbook on the table and was writing quickly in a barely-legible scrawl.

"Hey," I grinned at her. She didn't look up. I would have flushed pink, had it been possible, in a frustrated growl, but I looked closer and saw she had headphones in her ears.

Gently, wanting to limit my contact with her, I prodded her shoulder. She glanced up and smiled.

"Hi," Her face went pink; she deftly knocked the headphones from her ears.

"Hey," I said, "You having trouble?" I gestured at the book. _Good ice breaker. Oh, and Edward, if you're listening, fuck off._

"Calculus, algebra, maths in general enjoys messing my head around, eh?" She smiled and I realised where she was from. Scotland. Excellent. I jerked back to the present as she snapped the book shut, and watched her fingers slide across the cover and she sighed.

"I can help, if you like?" She shook her head.

"I'll be fine." She grinned again, "What part have we got? I stopped paying attention when-" she blushed and went pink, looked away. Humiliation seeped over me in a wave and I tried to displace it, limit it to mild embarrassment. It was for the best for the both of us - the less she blushed, the less she made me want her blood.

"Focussed analysis of the balcony scene…" I stopped, "examining the love, lust and chemistry between the two characters during this scene and the scene at the masquerade." _**(A/N I like how they meet at a dance, but can't remember if tis a masked ball… I've seen interpretations that way)**_

She was still flushed pink. An incredibly attractive look, both her blood and her smile affecting me heavily. The scent of her blood was possibly the nicest thing - she was the girl I had been watching for two and a half weeks - since she had arrived. But it felt like years, I was so… obsessed.

"Jasper?" She offered her name like honey from her lips. "You OK?"

"Yeah." I looked up from my steady table-gazing. "I've got some old copies of Romeo and Juliet at home, hand-me-downs," _from myself,_ "Maybe we could get some stuff out of that… they're full of crap."

"Never insult the random annotations of the schoolchild, Jasper Hale," She said sagely, "Thoughts and theories are what make the world go round."

"I'll remember that."

"You should," She laughed, "But… I shouldn't be telling you all this. You're smart enough to know all of it." I laughed, but I think she could tell I wasn't completely into it.

"Thanks," I would have blushed, had it been possible.

"It's true… I mean, you seem to know a hell of a lot about the syllabu-"

"I've just read the books before," I pushed in hurriedly, realising the nervous aura in the air was actually me, panicking about talking to her.

I know I had found her interesting, but this nervousness was different - when I was around her, I noticed more and more things about her - but when I had been with Alice, all I got was superficiality and the occasional vision. Fun for a while, but sixty years? Too much for one man… too much for any must have been what drew me to Graye. She was different - had an unknown, mysterious history. I wasn't stuck with her day and night.

"Jasper?" She looked like she had said several things, several times, and I hadn't been listening.

"Hmm?"

"Your family wants you." She smiled, looking up at the amassed Cullens, who were staring at us from across the canteen. She gathered her books up, blushing darkly, nodded and walked away. Halfway across the cafeteria, and when I was about to get up and join my brothers and sisters, she stopped, turned on her heel and returned to me.

"Yeah?" I looked up at her.

"Here." She put her books down and scrawled something on a piece of paper, "If you need me at all," She smiled and nodded again, "Later, Jasper."

"Call me Jazz."

"Cool." She disappeared in the few seconds it took for me to pick up the slip, and note there was a cell phone number and an address on the page. I folded it and put it into my pocket.

---

Hope you enjoyed?

Graye is pronounced like Grey/gray (the colour) lol

Please Review...

I'd love to know what you think and I seriously appreciate feedback

xxx


	2. Alice's Visions

DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing.

Hope you enjoy

-x-

_**Alice's POV**_

I watched Edward transcribing their thoughts and conversation for me, he was frowning, didn't like listening to private conversations.

_**He's watching me weirdly… and his eyes are darker today. Nearly black. Weird. I should ask him if he's got contact lenses… **_

_**Stupid Math. She could be doing something far more interesting. Like talking to me. Stupid teacher. **_

_**Romeo and Juliet? With Jasper? I'm liking it; I'm liking it a lot.**_

She was looking at him as though she'd just seen him. His eyes were wide, watching her, holding her gaze happily. She licked her lips unconsciously, still staring at him, and I felt a surge of jealousy rush through me.

"Alice?" Edward was looking at me, "_Don't_." A thousand possible futures slipped through my mind - I could throw a chair, _accidentally_ kill her, "No." Edward's murmurs sped up as he heard each of the new situations through my thoughts. "Alice, please. Jasper… is his own man." he licked his lips unconsciously as he felt Jasper's nerves. "Calm down, man. She'll think you're weird…" a small pause and he laughed at the thoughts emanating from Jasper. "Hand me downs, from himself."

"That's not funny, Eddie," Emmet grinned, "But she seems to find him interesting."

"I'm gonna kill her," I blurted, Edward stared at me.

"Alice…" He started.

"Don't you dare, Edward Cullen." I whispered, softly warning him. "He's mine."

"If I remember rightly, the words, '_we're through if you can't accept me for who I am_,' do _kind_ of mean he's free and easy." He paused, "I mean… free to do what he wants."

"Right." I muttered. Edward looked away as she said something and gestured at us, then rose and walked away. "Whatever. She's going. Get him back here-"

Before Jasper could even move, I saw her turn around.

"What's she doing, Edward?"

"Nothing." He muttered without looking around at me, "She's got headphones in her ears. She's singing the lyrics in her head, testing herself. I can't hear what she's not thinking."

"You must have got it." I repeated starting to get frustrated. "Edward, think-"

"No, Alice. Jasper's singing _twinkle, twinkle little star _in his head. I can't hear him." he wouldn't look at me.

"You're lying."

"Oh, Alice, ask him yourself."

"I won't." I spluttered, realising I was getting flustered as Jasper returned to us. He had a small smile on his face, and washed a kind aura of calm over me. "Thanks." I said frostily, immediately feeling guilty. The calm returned and he shook his head.

"Not a problem." A pause, "Listen, I'm gonna walk home."

"No, you're not." I spoke before I could stop myself. "You're freaking getting obsessed already. You've known her what? Two hours?"

"Actually, I've been listening to her thoughts for weeks." I felt my mouth drop open. "Since she joined. She's fascinating."

"Really?" He nodded simply and smiled at Edward, who returned the gaze a little reluctantly. I drew in a deep, furious breath and shook my head. "If you kill her, we're all screwed."

"I'm not stupid. I wanted to walk to clear my head, actually." I closed my eyes; saw a huge indoor splash, a purple bathrobe splayed out across the surface of a pool, the girl in the water, not moving.

"Jasper," Edward interrupted, "Alice had… a vision." They all look at me. "Go on."

"She's in the water, splash in a pool, she's not moving, there's a bathrobe over her." I paused and looked at him, Jasper. "If you kill her," I was pleading now, no longer caring if he got mad or stayed happy, "We will get found out."

"I'm telling you, she's not going to die." He said more vehemently, rising and taking his books with him as he strode away. "I'm walking home!" He shouted as he walked away, shaking his head.

-x-

He didn't look at Edward or me as he passed the Volvo, Edward's face contorted slightly as he passed us, nodding slowly.

"Let him do this, Alice. He's his own man." There's a small pause, a moment of silence.

"I don't know if I can."

"You have to," he growled and opened the passenger door for me. Seconds later, I heard the driver's side open and he sat down, raising an eyebrow at me. I didn't move for a few minutes, letting the situation hit me.

I watched him turn the corner, looking determinedly ahead of himself, at the sidewalk. I hated that she was already taking him away from us. I pushed the passenger side door shut on Edward's Volvo and stood watching him, my eyes darkening and my face getting more and more stony, then switching to a horrified grimace as I watched her turn the corner and follow in the direction Jasper had gone, obviously on her way home.

I went to get back in the car but a vision stopped me in my tracks, _a long silence, he was in a closet, a few pairs of jeans, and a jumper in his hands, shredding it as he pushed the door open. Watching her, she was lying semi-clothed, fast asleep in her bed. He advanced and she sat up, wide eyed, terrified._

"He's going to follow her home." I blurted. "Oh, Christ-"

"No, no, he's not-" Edward had seen it too, he was licking his lips, holding his breath, looking at the floor. "Jasper's not stupid. Jasper is his own man… he knows what he can handle-"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Right."

He dragged me into the car one-handed, slammed the door behind him and screeched out of the parking lot. Emmet and Rose would kill him, but they could wait. I didn't care if she died, whatever her name was… but Jasper… he would feel so guilty. He'd feel so bad.

"Alice, can you see anything?" I closed my eyes. Nothing new was coming.

"Not that I've not seen." I slam my hand on the dashboard and groaned. "_Shit_."

"I know… I know." Edward groaned as he gunned the engine. "We could tag her?" he looked at me. I shook my head.

"Jasper's his own man, Edward," I said, a little edge of spite in my voice, "he knows what he can handle…"

Inside, my stomach was churning, and Edward knew it, but he threw us into a 360 and we turned back towards the parking lot. There was Emmet, arms folded, Rose standing beside him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Where the hell did you go?" Emmet roared as he threw himself in the back of the car and groaned. "Jasper's gone." Statement, not question.

"He's gone." I replied, not saying anything more

---

Hope you enjoyed?

Please Review...

I'd love to know what you think and I seriously appreciate feedback

xxx


	3. Emmet's Supportive

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

-x-

_**Emmet's POV**_

_**I padded along behind him, hoping he wouldn't hear. It was getting foggy, there would be rain tonight. **_

He would smell me, I knew, but if I walked slowly, I could get away with it… If I walked in the trees, he wouldn't see me. He was walking in plain view towards the shops, and I was screaming in my mind for him to turn around and go home. He wasn't Eddie; of course, he wouldn't hear me… though that would be weird.

She, the girl he'd been paired with, I forget her name, had picked up a push bike, apparently she'd locked it behind the gym block and retrieved it when Edward and Alice had gone after him, we had all just missed it.

Lazily peddling along the street, she pulled up at the lights and saw my brother. Her face broke into a grin after a few seconds and she increased in pace, pushing on the pedals for all she was worth.

"Oi! Hale!" She yelled, Jasper looked up and I shrank back into the shadows. His muscles tensed for a second and I tried to calm down, then I turned to see her skidding to a halt beside him, her face flushed from a thirty-second intense session of high gear pedalling. "Wait up!"

"Hey!" He grinned at her as she half-dismounted, one foot still on the pedals, the other resting on the asphalt, between two parked cars, "Alright?"

"Yeah, man." she leaned on her handlebars and unzipped her jacket slightly. The breeze caught her hair and I saw him swallow from about half a mile away. She was affecting him strongly. He was stuck in there, unable to move. "Thought you lived that way?" She pointed back up the road, the way they had both come from.

"Esme… my adoptive mom, she wanted me to get some stuff from the shops." He said vaguely.

"I can give you… I can give you a," She grinned to herself, "A lift, of sorts, if you want?" She gestured to the bike. It had space for a second rider - bars on the wheels he could stand on, but he would be too close. He'd be too tempted to bite her if, I suspected, he took even one step closer.

"I'm OK," he grinned, "but I can walk you home?" She smiled, shook her head.

"I'm cool. I'll only hold you back," Her light tone changed suddenly, "anyway - you should get home before it gets dark - you never know what's about at night." Jasper was as intrigued as me, it seems.

"What do you mean?"

"There are ghosts and ghouls and creatures of the dark that come out in fog like this, Jasper." She winked, a smile lighting her eyes, and swept her hand through the air around the pair of them, creating a breeze made primarily of her scent. He stiffened again and she mistook it for fear, trembling. "That was a joke, Jasper," she put her hand on his arm, he stared at her fingers as she gently rubbed his bicep reassuringly, his eyes wide and terrified. She had no idea what the hell she was doing to him, did she? "There's no such thing as… ghosts, or… you know… _the undead,_" She giggled and shook her head. "I'm freaking myself out now," she laughed and swung her leg back over the bike, shoving back her jacket sleeves. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"I guess… I dunno, maybe." He spoke but wouldn't meet her eye. The weather wasn't supposed to be sunny tomorrow… was he just gonna skip? No. We had a double period of Lit tomorrow. He wouldn't last two hours. That was it.

"You alright?" She was concerned because of his sudden shift in tone, the darkness in there, the foreboding. I was scared too, because I knew what it meant - Alice was right. He was deadly, and he didn't know it yet.

-x-

He got back about seven, having walked at human pace for nearly two hours. There were a couple of newspapers and some milk in his bag - he had obviously been worried she would find out that he'd walked to the store and back without buying anything, and get a little bit suspicious.

"Aww, Jazz, I don't think Carlisle will want milk stinking up the joint," Rose said as soon as he passed through the door. He shook rain out of his hair and looked at her for about three seconds, then walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, put the milk in and sat down, opening the paper in absolute silence and sweeping his eyes over the pages.

"Jasper, stop thinking that!" Edward shouted a few seconds later. "That's…" there was a moment of silence, he appeared in the kitchen. I rose, interested in watching the exchange. Jasper's fixation with the poor girl was intriguing, most definitely.

"Stop thinking what?" He said, folding the paper back up and smiling to himself. "That Graye's one of the most interesting people I've ever met? More interesting even than…" He stopped speaking and by his expression I didn't have to be a mind reader like Edward to know _exactly _what he was thinking. Although my thoughts were kind of confirmed by the way my mind-reading brother snarled and launched at my mood-affecting one. Jasper dodged him easily, smiling widely and licking his lips.

"No, dear brother," He laughed, "Don't get me wrong. She is lovely, and everything. But there has to be more to life, hasn't there? A spice, of sorts?"

"She smells like spices?" Edward was still in his combat crouch, his eyes dark and dangerous, but Jasper was smiling from his safe place on top of the fridge, swinging his legs nonchalantly. "What kind?" I knew he was trying to coax the Texan from his vantage point, but he didn't have much luck anyway.

"Cinnamon. Real, good, old cinnamon." Jasper looked different suddenly, almost human, real, almost… alive as he blinked and stared into the middle distance for a second. "And nutmeg. Weird, isn't it?"

"Nice." I breathed out slowly, not really understanding why Edward still didn't look happy. He looked at me, a frown etched deep in his features.

"I don't look happy because… I'm concerned." everything Jasper had been mad about earlier seemed to click into place, to make perfect sense all of a sudden. I looked at Edward, frowned slightly.

"We were concerned when you went for Bella, but she lasted. She's still human," He winced, "She's still alive. What makes you think… Graye, is it?" I looked at Jasper, he nodded fervently, "What makes you think Jazz can't do exactly what you did, and keep her alive, make her understand?"

"He's new." Edward muttered. "He's not got as much control."

"I know." Jasper conceded. "But I'm not going to kill her." He put his head in one hand and looked like that famous statue - the thinker, I think it was… "I'm trying to do my best, but the less you believe in me, the more I doubt myself, alright?"

"I think you can do it, Jazz." I said softly. "You're stronger than we give you credit for, man."

"Thanks, bro." He nodded at me, smiled. "And you, Edward? Can I try, or do you want me to… swap partners in Lit, or something?" Edward stared at him for a second.

"If there's even a sniff of you losing control, I will come and get you myself. You won't put our family in jeopardy, Jasper."

"I won't." He said sincerely, easing himself from the fridge and alighting gently on his feet. "I promise." there was a pause. "Although I might not go to school tomorrow… I haven't hunted in a while-"

"You're going to school. You can't make her suspicious now, Jazz."

"I need to hunt, then."

"Go tonight," Edward said, "Go and feed on a couple of bears. That'll fill you for a month." Jasper nodded and swept out quickly. Edward looked at me as he disappeared across the horizon. "You utter bastard. You couldn't let me talk some sense into him, could you?"

"You can't be a hypocrite, Eddie."

"I think her life's more important than me being a hypocrite, don't you?" I set my shoulders and rolled them back. "For god's sake, Emmet." I shook my head.

"He doesn't come into it. I have faith in him. He's far stronger than you think."

**---**

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... **

**They are like hugs on a bad day. And i'm feeling awful... **

**xxx**


	4. Graye's Scared

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**I know I've skipped this forward a fortnight, but I think it'll make sense as I will be revealing things in the nest few chapters that will fill in the blanks. They might or might not be overt flashbacks, but you'll have to look out for them all! Lol…**_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---xxx---**_

_**Two weeks later**_

**Graye's POV**

I must have been dreaming. I rolled over and heard my mobile ringing, forgetting what my ringtone was in my sleep-deprived state. It was a complete shock to my system. I looked at the display. Strange number. I blanked out the screen and hung up, closed my eyes again. Seconds later, it was ringing again.

"Hello?" I whispered quietly, unwilling to wake the family.

"Graye?" The voice was one of my most familiar tones now. I knew it. But I played stupid.

"That's me. Who is this? James Bond come to whisk me away?" I laughed at my own little joke.

"No…" the voice sounded somewhat dejected. It seemed to hurt my soul to hear it.

"Then it must be Jasper Hale!" I said, mock-surprised. "What do you want, Jasper? It's three in the morning."

"I can't sleep." He murmured.

"I can't either." I smiled, "But that's because of strange phone calls in the middle of the night." Another pause as mum spoke in her sleep. "Give me a minute. I should really go somewhere I don't have to whisper." he chuckled softly, I got up, pulled a camisole on, switched my pyjama bottoms for a pair of shorts, and wrapped my dressing gown around myself.

I padded into the poolhouse, flicked the reading lamp on and sat down in the sun lounger, in the glow of light, thankful for the dressing-gown as the cool night air hit me when I opened the door, pulling across the fly-screen.

"OK.," I paused, "If you can't sleep, why're you pissing me off?" He chuckled again.

"I… just wanted to talk to someone who _wouldn't _take the piss out of me." I smiled at his voice.

"Well then…" I paused, looking around me for something to do, wondering whether we would be having an epic conversation, or just a short chat. "Well… how's the family?" I shook my head. _what a question, Graye! Alice hasn't been seen in Forks for eleven days, Edward looks daggers at you every time he sees you and Emmet just can't keep a straight face… Rosalie just ignores you - Clearly they hate you… _

"They're alright. Alice… I don't know when she's coming back, but she's alright… and Edward and Emmet are so bored with all the Literature stuff…" He sounded desperate to talk about anything else at all.

"Well…" I went back inside and crossed to the bookshelf in our lounge, found my copy of Romeo and Juliet and returned to my seat. "We could always take a look at the balcony scene… I mean… we've got all the stuff for the Masquerade done, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I think so…" He paused, sounding a little… upset about something.

"Jasper? Something you've just thought of… or what?"

"No, it's nothing." But he didn't sound sure. I left it, flicking through my copy to the pages we would need. "Have you got a copy?"

"Yeah." He replied, there was a soft rustling outside, in the big tree in our garden. Panic set in for a few seconds, then a weird aura of calm washed over me and I relaxed. I sat back and listened to Jasper read Romeo's lines.

"_He jests at scars that never felt a wound._

_But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?  
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."_

His voice is velvet soft, he sounds like he'd melt ice with his eyes… if he was looking at me, I think I'd melt. I closed my eyes and thought of his eyes, of the warm amber, of the subtle undertones of whatever colour they really are, because that honey is unnatural, unnatural but attractive…

"_It is my lady, O, it is my love!  
O, that she knew she were!  
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?  
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.  
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:-"_

I must have sighed, because his voice cut out immediately, and he cleared his throat.

"Graye?" I looked up. "Graye, are you alright?" His lack of Shakespearian meter threw me slightly and I jerked back to the present, realising my book had slipped to the floor and I was staring into the pool, the reflection of the lamplight must have attracted me - it was so… similar to his eyes. So bright, but orangey amber.

"Yeah." I shook my head, trying to clear the fog in there, "Just thinking." I dropped the handset into my lap for a second and went to pick up the copy now resting face-down on the floor.

I flew to my feet as I heard his voice, clear as a bell, from outside the netting over the open door.

"What about?" The panic returned and I stepped closer to the doorway nervously.

"Jasper?" I whispered, forcing the phone to my ear. "Where are you?"

"I'm-"

"Don't lie to me." I whispered. He sighed and I looked up to see a dark shadow on the other side of the netting.

"I'm here."

"What on earth are you doing?" I hissed, trying not to shout. "_Why_ are you in our _shrubbery_?" I couldn't see his face, but I wanted to, just to slap him. "Get in." I opened the fly screen and waited for him to appear in the soft glow of the reading lamp. He was wearing the ripped jeans and white cotton T-shirt that he had worn to school, but he still looked pristine, as though he hadn't broken a sweat getting here. I hadn't heard a car pull up. His jacket hung open, and he stood in the doorway, a copy of Romeo and Juliet in one hand, his mobile in the other.

"Hi." He murmured, looking away.

"I think, I'll ask again," I said at him, gripping his chin between my fingers and forcing him to face me. He almost ripped my fingers from his face and threw my arm aside. "What the _**fuck**_ are you doing here? In our shrubbery?"

"I-" He grinned sheepishly, though no blush rose in his face.

"You what?"

"I couldn't sleep," he repeated. "I wanted to talk to someone." He stepped around me and looked at me. A breeze blew in from the open doorway and his whole body stiffened, he stared, wide eyed as I went to close the door.

I had noticed his eyes today, at lunch - they were a deep, strong black, almost evil. He was hovering between that and his usual amber, now, blinking gold to black, and back again.

"You wanted to talk to someone, Jasper?"

"Yeah," He sounded as though her was struggling to talk, struggling to breathe. "Yeah, I just needed to… to get away and talk to someone…. I didn't know who to call, where to go, then I found my jacket, was gonna go for a walk… and I… found your address…"

"Right." I was just blindly agreeing. Where did my anger go? I thought about looking for it, but figured it would be futile. I kind of liked Jasper at my house. "Cool." I smiled and gestured to the sofa by the big windows, "Sit down."

"I probably shouldn't," He blurted, looking away, holding his breath.

"You know, if I smell, you should just tell me." I frowned melodramatically, changing my expression to a grin as he looked up at me.

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... **

**I'd appreciate your feedback, and want to know, desperately, what you think... because I don't know if it's worth carrying this on... lol, haha...**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	5. Jasper's Cracked

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**The italics at the beginning are the starts of the filling in the blanks ... which will alternate between Jasper and Graye's POV... (which would explain the J)**_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**.J.**_

_She licked her lips and stared at the pages, shaking her head and looking at me, almost heartbroken. _

"_Jasper, have you ever thought that this… this plot was utterly ridiculous - that no man, not even Romeo could fall in love just by looking at the girl." she chewed the tip of her pen for a couple more seconds and I smiled. _

"_It's not impossible, Graye." She paused and looked at me mid word._

"_Has it ever happened to you?" She grinned when I froze, said nothing._

"_No." I relented. "I think I thought it happened when Alice and I met… but I guess I was wrong. I've moved on." I bit my lip, as she looked at me, intrigued. "But we should get going with this."_

"_I hope you're right." She said eventually, as I went to scribble something new down_

"_About what?" Now I was intrigued._

"_Oh…" She smiled at me, "Nothing."_

_---_

_**Jasper's POV**_

She was staring into my eyes, panic stricken as I took a step forward.

"You reek." I muttered.

"Sorry."

"You stink."

"Of what?"

"Cinnamon." She froze, tensed up. Blushed pink, and sat back down on the lounger, grinning.

Then it all went wrong. She picked up her copy of the play and swore as she cut her finger. She looked up at me and grinned.

"Sorry." She held her finger up. There was a drop of blood on it where she had squeezed the wound. A wave of blood mixed with cinnamon hit me and I advanced, slowly, realising her body would be slowed down by the dressing gown. "Jasper?"

But I had forgotten how to talk. My mind was swimming with her scent, with the gentle pulse of her blood, swimming as she drew her legs up, her face a picture of pure fear. I think she had forgotten how to breathe as I stepped forward again, took two steps closer to her and knew my thirst had blinded me.

She jumped up and stepped back, walking away, terrified, not looking where she was going as I advanced faster and she stumbled back, I was pulling a face, trying to calm her down, but I was going to go mad - she was terrified, it was terrifying me because of my empath nature.

I took other two steps toward her, and reached out for her hand, she yanked herself out of the way and stepped back again.

And disappeared.

For a second, I panicked, my control returning suddenly as a splash of water hit me across the chest. The stench of blood had dissipated as she had sunk into the water, without so much as a sound she surfaced and shrugged the dressing gown off. It floated in the water and I stared at it, realising that, horrendously, I had almost killed her.

I heard a whimper, and it took me a few seconds to realise that it was me. I had, in the seconds it had taken her to fall into the water, plunge beneath it and resurface, kicking back to the far side of the pool, fallen to my knees and started to whimper.

I was pathetic. Attempting to make myself the victim when I had nearly _**killed**_ _her. _

_I had nearly killed her. _

"Graye?" I held out my hand from her. She stared at me.

"You looked l-like you were going to kill me." She stuttered, sinking down so her shoulders were in the water. "You were going to murder me." Another pause, "Get out." Her voice was low, angry. Beaten.

"Hear me out." I begged. She considered it for a second.

"_Get out." _She repeated.

"No!" I yelped. She made a face, suddenly, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Please, Graye. Hear me out!"

"Alright." She muttered, looking for all she was worth, as if she didn't want to be anywhere near me. Slowly, she lifted herself out of the water, her hands on the side of the pool, lifting herself up with her arms and a small jump from the bottom of the pool. She looked like she was doing it in slow motion, the silk camisole she had been wearing was ruined, and the shorts were soaked. Even though I had been watching her for the past three months, day in, day out, I felt like I was seeing her for the first time.

And she looked gorgeous.

"I-" I realised I was staring at her chest.

"Would you look at me, please?" She pulled her hair back and started to plait it. My eyes snapped to her face. "Excellent." She stopped again. "Well?" She repeated, biting her lip gently, pulling herself to her feet and assuming a tight combat stance.

"Well what?" I wanted to keep her there as long as possible, keep her talking. Stop her from screaming - which her aura of panic was pretty much dictating she would do.

"Fuck it. Get the hell out of this house." She yelped, her face going beautifully red.

"Graye…" I started slowly. She shook her head.

"Get the hell out." She repeated. "Or I'll scream." I washed an aura of calm over her. "What're you doing?" She started to fight it, but I pressed harder and she relented.

"Hear. Me. Out." I said, my voice deadly calm. She stared.

"Get out." She paused. "I don't want to see you ever again."

"I'll come back. Every night. Until you talk to me. Every, single night."

"Alright." She relented, after a minute of silent staring. "You're one of those crazies, aren't you? You pick a victim, get them alone and kill them." She yelped again as I took my jacket off and held it out to her across the pool.

"Put this on. You will get cold. Catch your-" I stopped myself before I said it. "Please. It'll be cold for a minute. Just put it on." I watched her look at me, still standing on the other side of the pool, unmoving in her little combat stance. I realised how futile it was. If I wanted to kill her, it would just take half a second to pull that stupid stance apart, limb by limb.

When she nodded simply, I threw the jacket across the water and she caught it deftly, throwing it around her shoulders, shuddering for half a second and pulling it tightly around herself.

"Are you going to kill me?" She sounded petrified, I wanted to help her, I wanted to… but it was so hard.

"I'm trying not to."

"I'm sorry?" I slap my face into my hand. "Jasper?" She paused again when I didn't make a sound, "J-Jazz?" I looked up at my soft, gentle nickname.

"I'm trying not to. I don't want to kill you, Graye, but your blood is making it really hard for me to still be on this side of the pool."

"You want my blood?" She murmured. "What are you? A fucking vampire?" When I didn't move, she freaked. I tried pushing waves of calm over her, but it didn't work. Nothing was strong enough. Why was I suddenly nodding? Why was I admitting the truth? Why was I so terrified I would hurt her?

Did I honestly care? After being with her at lunch, after being so keen to follow her home… is it possible this could have become an obsession already?

I bit my lip and looked at her, forgetting about trying to change, to take away her fear. Maybe if she were scared, she would take it better.

"You suck people's blood?" She was saying, "You kill them… turn them into you?" She frowned, her tone increasing in pace as she got more and more frantic, "Is it true?"

"No!" I heard myself talking before I could think, "I haven't killed anyone in an age! Us… my family, we're vegetarians, we feed on animals, not humans. That's why our eyes… why _**my **_eyes are golden… and-"

"Black when you're hungry." She managed to stutter. The panic intensified further, rising, if that was even possible, in her chest. "Why aren't I dead, right now, then?" She said softly.

"I want you to calm down, Graye," I pleaded softly, "The faster you're blasting your pulse, the more your blood is… screaming my name."

"Why the fuck should I calm down?" I felt another surge of panic and nearly screamed. "You're a fucking vampire. And I'm alone with you!"

"Please, Graye." I murmur, gathering my concentration, "Calm down!" At my words, I send a wave of calm over her. She fights it hard, the concentration making her face screw up tight. I feel the panic defeating my calm.

"Fuck off. Stop it. You don't own my emotions." She was speaking at normal volume now; this was her version of night time shouting.

I forced another wave of calm over her. She fought it off completely, though she was on her knees, looking so pathetic in my jacket, soaking wet, tears in her eyes from such forced concentration.

"Stop doing that!" She roared.

"Not until you calm down, sit down, and stop, and think, and listen to me." She stared for an age, slowly crossing her hands across her chest, gripping her shoulders, shivering, rising and sitting back on the lounger.

"OK? I'm calm." She folds her harms and frowns. "Alright? I'm bloody calm." The panic recedes in her chest and I start to calm down too.

"OK." I paused as she shivered. "You cold?" She nodded, "You want to go get a towel?"

"Love to." She blushed, "There's one behind you." She gestured, "There's a towel by the side, there." I turned and picked it up, stepping forward slowly to offer it to her. She tensed.

"I'm only going to give you the towel." She nods and I take another step forward, taking a deep, long breath, holding it as I swing the towel over her shoulders. "Alright?"

"Thank you." She murmurs, not looking at me, terrified.

"If I could change the vampire thing, I would." I sighed, "I don't… I don't want you to be scared of me…"

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... **

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	6. Graye's Confused

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**.G.**_

_I chewed my pen for a second, staring at him as he sat, not eating lunch- just like the rest of them. They all hated me, I was sure- Alice hadn't been seen for six school days, I had asked Jasper, he had said he didn't want to talk about it. Bella had said she was ill, but they never got I'll, the Cullen family, they never got sick. They were perfect. I wondered if they had argued._

"_Jasper, where is Alice?" I asked when I was sick of it, the stares and glares I got from all his family. He looked away. "Please, Jasper, I want to know. Will you tell me? If it's my fault…" His reaction told me it was._

"_NO!" He yelled, I dropped my drink and it splashed across my chest, "Oh, bloody hell, now look what I've done…" he grabbed a tissue, threw it at me, rose and left. I stared after him, feeling the anger and hurt build up in my chest, and I looked up to see Emmet staring at me. _

_I snapped. Crossed the cafeteria, slammed my hands onto the table. _

"_What is it? Well? Am I a freak? Have I done something wrong? Something to offend you? Do you want me to… to swap partners with Jasper? You want him all to yourself? Is that it? Can't he have friends?" I swallowed away the tears, but the burning sensation won in my chest. "Can't I be a small part of his life… for a few weeks?" _

_I strode away, quickly, wiping my eyes and going to my locker. _

"_They're laughing at you," I turned to see Mike Newton, staring at me, leaning against his locker, staring at me, "I saw them. You really like him, don't you?"_

"_Do you like Bella?" _

"_Touché." I sighed and he walked away. Less than two seconds later, a hand gripped my shoulder. It was icy cold, and I knew who it was. _

"_Jasper… leave me alone."_

"_Graye… they're mad at me." He said softly. "It's not your fault at all." _

**Graye's POV**

"Thank you." I murmured, not looking at him, terror surging through my chest, drawing the towel around me tighter.

"If I could change the vampire thing, I would." He sighed and I swallowed. "I don't… I don't want you to be scared of me…"

"I know…" I stumble over the words, "I don't want to be scared, Jasper… but I think it's…"

"Maybe we should swap partners for the Lit project?" He gestured at the pair of copies of Romeo and Juliet, sitting on the side table, looking forlorn and lonely.

"No." I said it a little too quickly and he looked at me. "We can work it all out. We're halfway through the project, Jasper…"

"You think we can work this out?" I nodded vehemently, "Well, I'll try and remember that when I end up draining you dry." He let out a dry laugh and I swallowed involuntarily.

"You won't." I pressed, standing up, stepping forward. He stepped back and I raised my palms in a surrendering motion. "I'm just going to get this." I pointed at the billowing dressing gown and sighed, "I know you don't want to hurt me Jasper," I sucked in a deep breath and crouched down, reached my arm forward, stretched out, inclining my head.

I could see him out of the corner of my eye, staring at me, watching my exposed neck hungrily, my exposed pulse must have been screaming at him, yelling at him, desperate for me to choke, so he could grab me.

"You're making it so hard, Graye…" I looked at him and smiled, feeling myself gripping the bathrobe as he slammed his finger to his lips and crouched down into a dark corner.

"Graye," I looked up at my mother's voice, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I smile, panic hitting me in a wave. That must have been Jasper, accidentally affecting me with his freaky-shit power. "Couldn't sleep… I fell in the pool - didn't have the lamp on," I pulled the towel tighter around me, trying to hide Jasper's jacket beneath the towel.

"Go back to bed, sweetheart." Mum whispered, "Or you won't get up in the morning," She nodded at me, waited for me to switch the reading lamp off and go upstairs. She followed me and let me disappear into my room.

I tuned around and stuffed my fist into my mouth as I noticed the dark form on my bed. Jasper was sitting there, legs crossed on the duvet and staring into my pillow.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, flicking my tiny lamp on and pulling my door closed. He looked up and pulled an apologetic face. "Explain!" I paused, "… Quietly!"

"I-I figured if I knew your scent… it might not make me want to…" He stopped and stared into my eyes. I licked my lips nervously and nodded.

"So you're saying we could work it out if you took something of mine… that we could…"

"Yeah." He paused, "I think so…" He shrugged. "It's worth trying it, isn't it?" He paused, "It's working for Edward, so…"

"With Bella?" He nodded once and I stared at him, "Right."

"Graye?" I looked up as I went to sit on my bed, "Do you want to swap partners in Lit?" He repeated again. I shook my head and he half smiled. "You're absolutely sure?" I nodded again.

"Yes, Jasper."

"You're putting yourself in danger." He said threateningly. I shrugged.

"There's a vampire in my bedroom, I'm scared shitless. There's a potential that he will kill me, any second. I'm terrified. It's you. I've decided, all of a sudden, I've decided, that life needs spice."

"You're touched in the head." He replied softly, I smiled and winked.

"No. I'm daring." I grinned and sat down beside him, "And a little bit mad." I closed my eyes and leaned slightly toward him. His back straightened, his body tensed and he took a deep breath has my bare arm brushed his. "Too close?" I whispered. The electric chill of his skin on mine was incredible, passing those chills on to me.

"Mnugh." He grunted, not looking at me. "I should go."

"Jasper?" I stopped him in his tracks as he went to leave through my window. I wasn't even thinking that it was a fifteen-foot drop without any trees to help him down.

"Mmm?"

"You fucking owe me." I laughed softly. "You woke me up at three AM, scared the living _**hell **_out of me, made me fall into a pool and-" He chuckled softly, "You nearly killed me. I think-"

He held up a hand, indicated that I should sit down, pretend to be asleep. I did so, watching him silently move into my wardrobe.

"Graye?" Mum opened my door a few seconds later, but I kept my eyes closed, my breathing even.

There was a vampire in my closet, my mother was completely unaware, and I was pretending this was absolutely normal. _Life got interesting at three in the morning. _Good good.

I didn't shift for three minutes, until jasper moved from my wardrobe, emerging clutching a jumper he had shredded in his hands. He looked freaked, desperate and terrified.

"What's wrong?"

"Your jeans… your jackets… they reek of you," He stopped, looked at the floor. "It's amazing."

"Tempting?" He shook his head.

"Just amazing." He took a deep breath and held it, then let it out after a minute or so. "Girls hug goodbye, right?" He put his arms out. At his look, I snorted with laughter. "I'm trying to be normal."

"You're freaking me out." I grinned, "Kind of severely," He paused to consider.

"A handshake, perhaps?" He offered as his own consolation.

"Good idea." The chill of his hand was incredible as I took it and shook his hand tightly.

"Goodnight, Graye." I smiled.

"See you Jasper." He hesitated on my windowsill."

"Graye?" I looked up, "You said _'I think'_ and your mom came in." I nodded, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking you owe me lunch." I smiled and he nodded, disappearing through my window, closing it silently. I fell back into bed and tried to sleep; knowing Jasper had left me with a million questions and only one answer.

I was falling for a vampire. Interesting turn of events, I grant you. My thoughts were spurred on by a huge undercurrent of panic. Just as suddenly, I felt a wave of sleepiness wash over me and I was grateful - whether it was Jasper, sitting outside my window, or not, I was grateful.

~*~

I was up early next morning, mum let me go for a run but I couldn't get far, Jasper was practically breaking all the functions in my head. I made it a mile round trip, got a paper and ran home, grabbing my bike from the garage after my shower, and heading off to school.

Happily enough, I nearly got sideswiped by that silver Volvo I had become accustomed to hating so much as I skidded through the rain-soaked parking lot, laughing as I caught Jasper's apologetic, terrified face in the rear window.

And Edward's look of horror as he realised who _exactly_ it was he had nearly run over.

As I locked my bike, still laughing to myself, I felt a presence behind me.

"Yes?" I asked without looking up.

"Do you prefer Italian… or American?"

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... **

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	7. Emmet's Curious

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**This chapter's Dedicated to MathsIsImmortal, who managed to get me going again on this fic – because i've been a little bit of an update fail lol**_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**.J.**_

_I stood behind her as she kicked the locker door several times, wrenched it open and threw her math textbooks into it violently._

"_Hey, what's up?" I pretended I hadn't been listening in via Edward for the past half an hour. I had been getting him to listen out for her getting mad or upset for a couple of days - since Mike Newton had told her my family had been laughing at her. "Math again?"_

"_It's ridiculous. Every time I ask for help, she either ignored me, pretends I don't exist or…." She made a frustrated noise again and kicked the locker door shut. "It's really, really frustrating, Jasper." I sent a wave of calm over her and she picked up on the change in atmosphere immediately. "Damn, you know how good it is to vent?" _

_I laughed and she looked at me for a long second. _

"_Stupid math, eh?" She smiled as I spoke and leaned against her locker, folding her arms. "You need any help, just call me." _

"_I don't have your number."_

"_Hey, if you shout loud enough, I'll probably hear you." She smiled, and opened her locker again, needing to retrieve another textbook. "I'm serious though. Think about it. If you need any help, I'm there." She laughed again and shook her head. _

_Two periods later and she caught up with me in the lunch queue. _

"_Hey, Jasper?" I looked over at her, genuinely surprised. "Jasper… uh… do you think you could spend your next free… teaching me Algebra?" _

"_What?" She looked taken aback and blinked sadly, "I mean, of course I will," I added quickly, sure that if I could be, I'd be blushing. "But I didn't think-"_

"_I thought I could use the knowledge trapped in that pretty little head of yours, Jasper." She tapped my forehead, exposing the pulse on her wrist to my eyeline, to just where I could scent it. I closed my eyes and breathed in, until Edward let out an almost-silent cough. I opened my eyes and looked at her, smiling. _

"_We'll compare timetables in Lit next lesson," She smiled at me as she laughed and nodded. _

"_I'll see you later, yeah?" _

"_Cool." I paused, "Later, Graye." _

_~*~_

_**Jasper's POV**_

"Yes?" She asked him without looking up.

"Do you prefer Italian… or American?" Her face fell and she looked away for a long minute.

"Why?" She didn't see me standing there, silent, listening, watching and waiting for my moment. She still had my jacket - as I looked, I noticed she was wearing it, she drew it around herself as she looked at him, watched him warily.

"Just wondered. Maybe I could take you to lunch - I know a fantastic place in Seattle-"

She was getting uncomfortable now. I had to help her out. Within half a second, I had crossed the parking lot and come up behind Tyler Crowley.

"Morning Tyler." I smiled at him and raised my eyebrows at Graye. "You ready for your tutoring session?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Tyler jumped in as she joined me on the path. "Dude, you could have let me kno-"

"Know what?" I looked at Graye and winked, smiling at the smile she sent me.

"You're dating." Graye stopped in her tracks and looked at me, her eyes lighting up with suppressed laughter. I grinned at her and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me but not saying a word. I tugged her further along the path when she was reluctant to move, and as we pushed through the main doors, she burst out laughing. I turned as the doors shut behind me, seeing Tyler standing beside Mike Newton, who had just pulled up, gesturing wildly and acting as though the world had ended.

"They think we're dating." Graye was leaning up against the lockers outside the Math classrooms, still laughing her head off. "Oh, incredible." She hit me gently on the arm and laughed when I pretended she had killed me. "Get up ya silly git." She wiped her eyes - she was crying with laughter, and I smiled at her.

We sat down in an empty classroom and she pulled her math textbook from her bag and set it on the table before us.

"Well, where do you need the most help?" I asked softly, "I mean… you say you're struggling, but I don't know where?" She smiled and flicked through some of the chapters, holding them out in front of me a couple of seconds later.

"It's mainly these." She whispered, blushing furiously, then, "Your eyes are amber today." in a voice so small I could barely hear it - even with my vampire powers.

"Yeah." I paused, "I fed this morning, where I could… to tide me over until I could feed tonight." She smiled and looked away, blushing bright red.

"What did you feed on?" She asked me, again in that tiny, quiet voice. I would have blushed if I could, and looked down at the table.

"A couple of squirrels." I looked away, trying to avoid her eye, knowing that if I caught sight of her, I would go into spasms of laughter.

"Squirrels?" She was sniggering, I could hear it in her voice, her laughter was infectious - even more so because of my ability. She finally stopped laughing long enough to look at me, put her arm around my shoulders and hug me one-armed. I tensed up and she felt it in the atmosphere, slowly withdrawing her arm, blushing bright pink. "Sorry-"

"Don't be." I paused, "How's your hand, by the way?"

"Sorry?"

"You cut it last night, remember?" She went pink again and looked down at the plaster on her finger. "Was it really that bad?"

"I…" She looked away at the floor again and smiled at me, "I didn't want to worry you about it - I didn't want to tempt you." She looked at my chest, the vinyl covering the fabric catching the limited sunlight barely coming in from the windows. She looked at me for a long second and reached her hand up to my face, brushing at my cheek gently. "You've got glitter on your face…" She brushed at it harder, "What the heck did you do? Stick it on with glue or what?" The light passed behind a cloud and I sat back a bit, moving away from the light as subtly as I could. She looked at me and smiled. "It's gone."

"Cool." She smiled at me and bit her bottom lip. "Listen, Graye…"

The bell for end of class went before I could say anything else, and she jumped up, stuffed her things back into her bag and disappeared, leaving me sitting in the math classroom on my own, my wondering what the hell had just happened.

I caught up with her in the corridor outside History. She was still bright pink, still looking at the floor tiles quite intensely. She smiled as she saw my shoes, looked up at me and went to speak, then caught sight of something over my shoulder and looked away hurriedly. There was a long moment of awkward silence and I turned around to see Emmet, staring at me from the opposite wall, his arms folded, and his expression serious. I didn't have to strain to hear what he was murmuring; even though he was talking at lower than a whisper.

"_You wait until Edward gets hold of you."_ I looked at him and raised a confused eyebrow.

"_What?" _

"_Dating a human… so last season." _He laughed at the look on my face and I relaxed. "_When're you gonna introduce me?" _

"_Never, if I can help it." _He laughed again as the door to the classroom opened and Graye hurried in to get her seat. Emmet raced through the door after her and sat down beside her. She tensed up, terrified, and looked up at me, terrified.

_Help me! _She mouthed silently, and Emmet laughed for no reason beside her. I pushed my brother aside and pulled up a chair to sit next to her, to keep them apart. She already had her notes out and was looking over them, I grinned as I looked over her shoulder and read over them. She noticed within about half a second.

"What _are _you doing, Jasper?"

"Nothing!" I said, knowing I had said it far too innocently for it to be ignored.

"What've I done wrong?"

"Nothing!" I repeated, she stared at me for a long second and burst out laughing, leaning forward slowly, so she could whisper into my ear without anyone else hearing - apart from Emmet, and he didn't count, at that point.

"Oh, Good." she Murmured, her shoulders shaking with some fear, some mirth, "You know everyone who's walked in here has noticed we're sitting together. I assume Tyler couldn't keep his mouth shut."

_Oh, shit._

I turned to Emmet and looked at him. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me with a Cheshire-cat grin.

"_You gonna tell me the whole story?" _He murmured, looking slightly intrigued. _"Or will I have to torture it outta you?"_

_**Aww. Shit.**_

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**I'm sorry I didn't update for a long, long time. I just have had a bit of a moment every time I've gone to put this up – i've either had too much work or just forgotten *is a fail***

**Please Review... (I'm looking for lots, lol)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	8. Alice's Back

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_***is hopefully no longer an update fail* .... in this chapter you get to see Rosalie *facepalm* Yay!!**_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**.Graye.**_

_I rubbed my shoulder as I kicked my bike away from the kerb. _

"_Bloody hell." I groaned as it started to rain, the water dripping down the back of my T-shirt almost immediately. "Fucking rain." _

_I biked for almost twenty minutes, keeping on at the slick tarmac of the roads, worried slightly my bike would slide sideways, hit the floor, and I would spin with it. As I got into the school students car park, I jumped off my bike and rode it one-pedalled for a couple of minutes._

_A wave of freezing cold water sliced over me, soaking me to the skin. I groaned and shook my hair out, it stuck to my face and I swore loudly. Looking up, I saw that fucking-shiny-silver-sodding Volvo, and made up my mind to key it with my bike-padlock-key as soon as I possibly could. _

_I swore again and went to lock my bike up. Jasper looked up at me as I passed his family on the pathway, determinedly looking away from him, staring up into the sky. I caught up with Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley and they practically wrapped their arms around me, hiding me from the Cullens as they dragged me into Physics. _

_Edward and Emmet didn't dare look at me as they sat down, but ten minutes into the lesson I was hit in the ear by a well aimed note. Reluctantly, I unfolded it and read it, folding my arms as I did so._

_**Graye… I'm really sorry about this morning. Don't be mad, it WAS an accident. Jasper.**_

~*~

_**Emmet's POV**_

I sat back comfortably, watching Jasper get more and more awkward with every passing second. He growled slightly and hit me ard on the leg, letting me know how pissed he was.

"_aww, cute." _I grinned and he looked at me, _"You're trying to hurt me…" _He half laughed and folded his arms, resting them on his head.

"_You're a dick, Emmet." _He murmured and I had to hold back a huge laugh.

"_Course I am… but would you have me any other way?"_

"_Nah." _He turned and winked at me, grinning again.

I watched her for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out why he would be so attracted to her. Then I caught a whiff of her cinnamon and nutmeg smell and I got half an idea. She reeked beautifully, every time she moved her head or her hands, her arms or even crossing and uncrossing her legs, we'd get hit by a whiff of spices. She looked over at me about halfway through the lesson, frowning slightly - she must have felt my eyes on her, staring incessantly will do that to people.

"Jasper?" Mr. McConnell jolted me - and Jasper - out of our thoughts.

"Oh… uh…" He looked at me. I shrugged, having not known the question. "Sorry sir, I missed what you said." Graye bit her bottom lip to stifle her laughter and tapped her pen on the page. "Was it about the…" I drifted off, but only after catching Jazz's quick glance at Graye's notes, speaking whatever words she had underlined aloud, earning an approving nod from McConnell and relaxing happily, patting her shoulder gratefully.

She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes as we got dismissed, packing all her things away at an agonising pace. Jasper left, to go and sit outside for five minutes between classes, and I waited, watching her. She looked up at me for a long minute as she realised I was still standing there, waiting for her.

"Emmet… What're you-" she was confused, and probably terrified by the sight of a six-foot-four vampire standing before her. I assumed she knew I was a vampire… we all knew where Jasper had been last night.

"I wanna talk to you." I said, a couple of syllables behind her.

"About?" She tensed up and narrowed her eyes slightly as I held out my hand for her to take. "Emmet, this is really weird-" She didn't take my hand, propelled herself to her feet by herself.

"I just wanna talk to you about Jasper." She froze mid-step and turned agonisingly slowly back to look at me.

"What about Jasper?" She folded her arms and I looked at her for a long time.

"Are you guys dating?" She bit her bottom lip and looked away, flushing bright pink… biting back… laughter, I think. "Look, I'm being serious-"

"We're not…" She smiled and me and patted my arm. "Course we're not dating - Jasper just got me out of a… a situation, alright?" She turned away and I followed her, catching her elbow, furious. I threw her into a spin so she was facing me. "Hey - get off me!" She tried to wrench her forearm from my grip, but I wouldn't let go. Very slightly, I tightened my grip and she whimpered, obviously in pain. I tightened my grip further, and two tears slid down her cheeks. "Please… let me go-"

Seconds later, Jasper opened the door, saw her pressed up against a desk, me clutching her arm tightly. He growled at me and pushed me aside, looked at her and pulled her into his arms without thinking of the consequences. When he pulled away, he took her wrist where I hadn't bruised it, and tugged her from the room.

"_Emmet, I'll see you later," _He grunted, nearly silent, clearly infuriated. I sighed and followed, curious as to where they were going. I saw Jasper approach Edward in the main quadrangle, and take the Volvo keys from him, then turn slowly and put his arm around Graye, steer her towards the car and half-shove her into it. She protested mildly but he silenced her with a glare, she submitted and climbed in without a word.

~*~*~

I took a deep breath and sighed, closing my eyes.

"Go over it again, Emmet."

"I said I wanted to talk to her about Jazz." Rosalie folded her arms and gave me a death-glare. "What?"

"You're a dick." She looked at me and shook her head.

"I've been told many a time today, Rose." She frowned. "Go on, why am I such a dick?"

"You…" She stopped and shook her head. "Never ask the girl. Humans are so touchy about relationships, Emmet." She unfolded her arms. "Then what happened?" Her voice was simple, resigned.

"I… well, I kind of grabbed her arm, and when she didn't say anything…" I would have blushed if I could, "I grabbed her arm and tightened my grip."

Rosalie slapped her forehead, frustrated.

"You hurt her?" She groaned, "I'm not surprised Jasper snapped. Where do you think he went?"

"I…" I shrugged, "I don't know."

"Will you track him?" She asked softly.

"How the hell am I supposed to know about tracking, Rose?" There was a long silence as she looked at me, staring into my face. "He's gone and-"

"It's not your fault, Emmet. He shouldn't have… she shouldn't have-" She came and sat on my lap, wrapped her arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "It's alright, Emmet. She'll be fine. He'll be fine. He's probably taken her home or something-"

I _hmm'_d and _yeah'd _quietly, only half listening, her voice lost in my thoughts. Twenty minutes later, Edward thundered into the house, practically dragging Alice in by the scruff of the neck.

"Speak, Alice." He growled, infuriated.

"I…" She looked away and shook her head. Rosalie spoke before I could.

"Where the hell have you been, Ali?"

"I've been with the Denalis." She set her jaw and looked away. "I wasn't gonna hang around here."

"When I found out Jasper had run off - thank you Emmet," Edward cut in and nodded at me, "I thought I should get a hold of her. Thankfully Tanya's lot were only in Oregon." Alice looked away again and folded her arms. "Tell them what you told me, Alice."

"They're in a hotel." She paused, "She's rung home to say she's staying at Kady's place, and she's said that they don't like getting too many phone calls, so she'll be around on her cell phone. But other than that, I don't have a clue where they are."

There was a longer silence as she stared into the middle distance for a dragging minute.

"Alice. That doesn't necessarily mean that-" Edward spoke almost silently, but we heard him perfectly from across the room. "Alice, calm down."

"He's going to do it, Edward… They're gonna…" She raised her eyebrows, "God… she's gonna get hurt… don't you see?" But there was something in the shrillness in her voice that didn't ring true. I didn't quite trust the high pitch that seemed to squeak something other than worry… some layer of malicious undertone. Edward shot a look at me and reset his jaw into a scowl, shaking his head minutely.

I chewed my bottom lip for a long second and thought of the afternoon's occurrences.

_Not. My. Fault._ I growled in my head. There's something wrong in there. I didn't trust her.

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... and let me know how I did!! **

**I do love you guys and thanks for reading it, so please do carry on!!!**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	9. Jasper's Driving

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**Graye's POV**_

I licked my bottom lip and breathed deeply as Jasper gunned the Volvo's engine. As he started to reverse out of the car park, I had half a heart attack. _What the hell was he doing?_

"Jasper?" I looked at him. He didn't move a muscle. "Jasper, what the hell-"

"Shut up." He groaned. "Just for a minute, Graye-"

"What the hell are you doing?" I grabbed at his shoulder and he looked at me, trying to send a wave of calm out across me. "Oh, for fu-" I groaned inwardly, and he sent another wave of calm across me. "You can fuck off with that emotions crap too-"

"Graye," He rested his elbow on the window and put his hand into his hair. "Can you call school and tell them you're going home, and can you call home and say you're staying over at… at…" He stopped and clicked his fingers, looking over at me. "Call home and tell them you're staying at Bella's, but only call you on your cell phone, because Bella got in trouble about calls."

"What the hell, Jasper, where are you taking me?" I had realised we'd pulled onto the motorway and were currently driving at about nine million miles per hour. "And slow the fuck down!" I shrieked.

He slammed on his anchors and I was thrown forward. Thankfully, he had slung his arm out to grip onto the front of my shirt; otherwise I would have crashed through the windscreen. I didn't have time to think about pulling my seatbelt across.

Slowly, he pulled over onto the side of the motorway and looked at me, smoothing my clothes down as he pulled his hands away.

"Are you alright?" He didn't look at me as he spoke; I kept my eyes on the dashboard and blushed dark, watching him out of the corner of my eye. He tensed slightly and my blush darkened even further. Stupid vicious cycle of embarrassment and shame. I shifted my hand slightly to turn the air-conditioning on, feeling as though my face was burning up. His hand enveloped around mine as my fingers closed around the dial and he pulled it away very slowly. I looked up at him and he shook his head.

"Jasper?" I asked softly, he simply replaced my hand in my lap and shook his head again.

"I don't want your scent flying around in a confined space," He blinked twice and looked away again. "I don't want to hurt you, Graye."

"I know." There was the blush again; resurfacing and he looked away, out the window for a longer minute. I wanted to get out and run again, but Jasper was stopping me. My emotions hadn't changed - I was still terrified, I was still worried to the point of panicking, but he hadn't touched my mind.

"You can't go home tonight." I heard him whisper from beside me, a minute or so later. His voice was soft and apologetic, his fingers still touching the steering wheel, drumming softly. I didn't reply. I don't think I could have found the wherewithal to even move at that point. "Graye? Speak, will you?"

"Why?" I murmured, my voice dropping, to barely a whisper. "Why can't I go home?"

"I don't trust them." He replied, sounding as though his heart was breaking.

"Don't trust who?"

"My family." He shook in his seat and I looked up at him. I think, if he could cry, he would have been. I slowly moved to put my hand on his shoulder and he didn't, for once, draw away. He felt like stone beneath my hand and I felt awful, because I'd done this to him.

"Jasper… why?"

"They… if Emmet will nearly break your wrist without thinking twice, then I don't know what's going to happen when Rosalie or Edward meet you." He curled his hand around my wrist a couple of seconds later, pulled my hand away from his shoulder and drew it close to his face, then pulled my wrist up so it was level with his lips, never taking his eyes off the pulse beating at my wrist.

"What're you-" But I closed my eyes, losing the words as he pressed his lips to my wrist. My chest started to pound horribly, knowing that if he lost control for a second, I was dead, but at the same time, I trusted him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

He pulled away from my pulse as I swallowed and realised I was getting steadily redder in the face. My embarrassment increased tenfold and he threw my hand back to me, shaking slightly.

"Jasper?"

"Open the window." He said suddenly, thickly, as though he was struggling to get the words out. _Shit. _

"Jasper, listen to me. You don't want to hurt me, do you?" I looked over at him as I pulled away from the window. I could barely hear him because of the cars rushing past, but I ignored it.

"Of course I don't." He stumbled over the words and I took a deep breath, ignoring the rising feeling of guilt and humiliation in my chest. "I don't want to hurt you." He repeated, three times, four times, maybe. It quickly turned into his mantra and I watched as he restarted the engine and took off down the road, not taking his eyes from the dashboard, speeding up to about a hundred and twenty miles an hour. I yanked my seatbelt on and closed my eyes, doing up the window when the abuse from the breeze got too much and my eyes started to water.

On autopilot, I did as he had asked earlier, called school on my phone and told them I wasn't feeling particularly well, so I had gone home. They didn't question it. They just let me go. Then I called mum and dad, told them that I was going to stay over at Bella's place.

"Have you got clean clothes, dear?" _Mum, ever the nervous one._

"We were going to shop this afternoon." I lied, gritting my teeth and hating not telling the truth. "So I can get something later."

"Well, I'll call you in the morning, dear. Have a lovely night-"

"Oh, mum, would you call on my mobile? Bella's dad doesn't like getting calls much, unless it's to do with, y'know, police business." Those two words would be enough to frighten mum into the next century. "So would you call me on my mobile?"

"Of course, dear. Love you." I groaned inwardly.

"Love you too, mum." I nodded and closed my phone with a lovely snap. She would believe anything, would my mum. I suppose it was a good thing, but I never really enjoyed lying to people.

"Thanks." Jasper broke me out of my thoughts as he put his hand next to mine, where it was resting by the handbrake. I smiled to myself and looked up at him, shaking my head gently.

Very slowly, I shifted to put my hand on top of his. He looked across at me, still driving, seemingly without direction, then closed his eyes and smiled.

"No problem, Jasper."

_Because I'd do anything for you._

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Please Review... and let me know how I did!! **

**I do love you guys and thanks for reading it, so please do carry on!!!**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	10. Jasper's Human

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_**Jasper's POV**_

I pulled up at the hotel farthest from Forks - I had driven all the way through Seattle and was getting tired. I didn't think Alice or Edward would think about coming after us. I wasn't sure, but I guessed Carlisle would tell them to wait it out, to calm down and think about it. Graye was sitting beside me and chewing her lip, staring into the dashboard as though the meaning of life was sitting, looking back at her. She still hadn't removed her hand from its position on top of mine.

Her heat was making my hand tingle; her fingers were tucked gently under my palm, holding it tightly, and not letting go. As I wound her window up, the electric controls whirring loudly, she jolted back to the present, looked up at me and blushed wildly. It was raining, thankfully, as I got out of the car, the clouds thick and turbulent. Graye looked up at me again and smiled as I threw the valet the keys and grabbed our schoolbags from the back seat.

I threw hers to her; she caught it awkwardly and put it over her shoulders, then walked around the car and joined me. I strode confidently up to the desk, even though my mind was screaming at me, telling me I was going mad, telling me she needed to go home, that I shouldn't waste time and money staying here tonight, that if any of my family had any brains, they'd be after us already.

But Graye needed sleep, she needed clothes, and if her mom didn't get her back tomorrow afternoon, she would be on the missing persons list for sure. My fingers drummed on the counter as the receptionist pulled up rates and room information at an agonising pace, and as I offered my credit card to pay, Graye made a small noise of astonishment and wheeled around, staring out of the doorway for a long minute, then turning back and looking into the mirrors above the desk. I looked at her, feeling her heightened panic surging through her chest.

"That'll be Two-hundred and twenty dollars, sir." Apparently, I didn't skimp on the decent hotels for her, either. Alice would freak if she found out. Something about that fact didn't bother me in the slightest. I paid without a word, took my card back, and put the room key in my pocket. Graye walked quickly towards the stairs, realising that the elevator wouldn't be any good. Small metal boxes moving at an agonising pace weren't going to be very safe for Graye. Especially if I was in there too.

Her pace was incredible - I could feel her fear, and the adrenaline coursing through her was making her blood exponentially sweeter with every step she took. I swallowed and let the door close behind her, willing myself to wait for her to get a flight on me before I went to catch up with her. I swallowed loudly and looked down at my feet, then turned and strode towards the elevator. If I caught it alone, I would be alright.

Eighty-three seconds later, I was unlocking the door to our room and sitting down in the chair by the desk. Graye took another minute and a half to get up the stairs, and into the room, but I felt a little better for those few minutes without her.

We sat in the room for a long half hour, silent, barely moving, questions were ticking over in my mind - _what had she seen downstairs, did she want dinner, does she want me to get her some clothes for tomorrow, will she want to sleep with me in the room, was she scared, did she mind me whisking her away__…_

She looked up at me at about the forty-five minute mark, pulling her hair back from her face, tying it up into a bun with a hair band I hadn't noticed around her wrist, swallowing nervously but keeping her eyes focussed on me throughout the silent sequence. She rose slowly from the bedcovers, walked towards the bathroom and closed the door behind her, all the time not saying a word.

Forty-seconds later, her emotions - which she had kept very guarded for the past hour or so, exploded into the air. Fear, mixed with nausea, tiredness, and nerves hit me in a wave and then she pulled herself together for long enough to retch three times.

I focussed my _power_ onto her, strong enough to calm her down, enough to take away the sickness and fear. She said something through the door but I didn't press it, just rose from the chair, leaned against the wall next to the door and slid down so I was sitting on the hardwood floor. My fingertips drummed against the wood for a long minute as her emotions changed quickly, I heard the tap run for a long minute and the towels brushing against each other, her sigh as she threw the towel she had used into the sink and she stepped towards the door. Slowly, she twisted the handle, the door clicked open and she pulled it towards her. I looked up at her as she looked into the mirror that was on the wall opposite the door.

She didn't even notice me as she looked into her own eyes, wide, blue and fearful, and swiftly wiped an escapee tear from her face as it rolled down her cheek. She looked herself up and down and a thundering crack of disgust rippled through her, she turned, shut the door and looked down at me, offering me a hollow smile, then sitting down beside me and taking my hand, picking it up from the floor, still saying nothing, still filled with despair and disgust, sickness and sadness.

I locked my fingers with hers, finally working out why she wasn't happy as she looked at me and curled up against me, not caring a jot about what she was doing to me. Her body was warm against mine and I swallowed heavily as I let her hold me tight for as long as she needed.

She understood everything that was happening to me, I knew that. She understood that I would kill her within half a second if I ever let my nerve go, if I ever wavered with my will power. She understood that I belonged to a different world, one that just happened to have collided with hers. I closed my eyes and let her heart overwhelm me as I listened to it beating. It made me feel human again, breakable, damageable, just like her. She didn't understand that I had given myself false hope in the car this afternoon. She didn't get that that kiss, the one I placed gently on her pulse, was one of a promise, a promise that I'd never hurt her. And my false hope was put proudly on show now, because right now, I didn't know how to stop her hurting.

~*~

We stayed there for maybe fifteen minutes; she kept one arm in her lap, her knees drawn up against her chest, holding onto me with everything else she had. When she finally rose, letting my hand go, straightening her jeans, pulling her shirt back slightly, she looked in the mirror again, forgetting me on the floor for a second. Disgust washed over her again, and I looked up at her.

"You look beautiful." My words sounded so pathetic, so empty as she looked down at me again, her eyes wide, her smile barely-there. There wasn't a hint of beauty about her, she _screamed_ _**absolute**_ _**perfection**_, there was so much more than simple loveliness in her. My words were pointless. My words were stupid, empty because they couldn't convey the gravity of my feelings, and I wouldn't force them on her, either.

Her fingers closed around her other wrist; she swallowed and nodded, although I could feel the disbelief swimming around in her head. She turned away from me and went to her school bag, crouched down beside it and pulled a bottle of water from it. She sat back down on the duvet, biting her thumbnail and pulling at the label on the bottle.

My body moved of its own accord - I didn't understand what was happening, but she looked up as I sat down beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. I felt human with her, and she seemed to sense it, because she didn't pull away as I took her hand and kissed it. She closed her eyes and shifted back on the duvet so she could cross her legs, slowly brought her hand up to touch my face, to tilt it slightly so I had to look at her.

She gave me a look that both asked permission and told me not to consent. She was acting like Edward, I was being Bella, feeling stupidly human, feeling breakable, raw, and terrified. With any luck, it was because she was feeling to too.

I nodded very slowly and moved my hand to rest against her waist. She rose to her knees and bowed her head, brought it up slowly - though it looked like it took a hell of an effort, and neatly pressed her lips to mine. She sucked in a breath as I pulled away, engulfed by her scent and the insane pounding of her blood as she pulled away.

I sat back and leaned against the pillows, shaking my head and blinking, over and over again. Her fingers curled around my wrist gently and she smiled at me. I looked up at her and opened my mouth to speak, but she got there before me.

"Jasper…" She bowed her head and pushed herself up from the duvet, got to her feet, her face went pink and I was engulfed by pure cinnamon. "That's all I had to know."

She turned to go back to the bathroom but I jumped to my feet, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to me, almost crushing the breath out of her as I found my arms wrapped around her. She let out a high squeak and sniffed, and everything rushed back to me.

She tasted just perfect, like cake and chocolate, back when it tasted perfect and lovely, and her eyes were incredible as they looked up at me, searching me for an answer even I wasn't sure was forthcoming. Her hand slid over my shoulder and she let her arm sit around my neck, she buried her head against my chest as I held her.

Somewhere over these three weeks, just being together, working together… somewhere over these three weeks, we had fallen in love.

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**I'm very proud of myself – I wrote almost two thousand words, and only used speech three times. **

**Detail heavy, I suppose, but I thought it was necessary, I mean, it is Jasper, after all *love him***

**Please Review... and let me know how I did!! **

**I do love you guys and thanks for reading it, so please do carry on!!!**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	11. Alice's Dangerous

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_Somewhere over these three weeks, just being together, working together… somewhere over these three weeks, we had fallen in love. _

-x-

Her fingertips never let go of my wrist, unwilling to let go of me as she climbed under the bedcovers, half-dressed, feeling self-conscious. I wasn't willing to make her pull away either, although underneath my fingertips I could feel her pulse, beating healthily under my skin. It made me want to scream and cry, because every time I moved, I would feel that pulse just a little bit harder underneath my fingers.

She closed her eyes as she let herself drift off, snuggling up to me unconsciously. I had ordered her room service while she was in the shower, and she seemed to enjoy dinner, but watched me not-eating as she shovelled down the food, and she still smelled like the strawberry sauce I had insisted on putting on the ice-cream she had.

While she was asleep, I took her fingers and gently pried them away from my arm, rose from the mattress and sat on the floor, watching her. There was pristine innocence all over her face, her eyes closed, fluttering slightly as she dreamed - I hoped of me, but there was no way of telling. I was actively trying to close off my emotions for her. I didn't want to amplify my feelings for her, and she didn't like me screwing with her mind. I would fight it for her.

I shuddered as she started shaking in her sleep; she threw herself over onto her side, curled up into a ball and started speaking, loud, terrified.

"Please… no! Leave him alone-" She span around in her sleep and whimpered again. "No! No more…" another moment of silence, another whimper, "Please… Just stop…"

I could feel her fear, it was pounding through her and straight through me, and for once, I wished I could read her mind to see her nightmares. To try and stop her nightmares. I was up on my feet at once, now trying to calm her down with everything I had in me. My fingers flew through her hair, whispering calming words to her directly into her ear. She whimpered softly again and I swept her into my arms, holding her through the duvet, knowing she needed a warm hug, a set of arms that would love her humanly. Not some freaky-shit love like mine. I touched my lips to the top of her head and she stirred awkwardly in my arms. In my panic to help her, I had forgotten any and all thirst for her blood. My sheer terror and the desire to help her were changing me.

"Jasper?" She murmured, her voice barely audible, her hand flying up to touch my face, to make sure she was really lying in my arms.

"I'm here." I murmured, stroking her arm with my fingertips. She whimpered again and buried herself against my chest, wrapping her arms around me and holding her breath. "It's OK…"

"I-…" I knew I didn't need to hear what had scared her so much, but I wanted to, to feel the pain she was feeling on a level I hadn't felt for a long time. Worry was an emotion I had long since blocked out, an emotion that didn't bother me any longer, because as vampires, we worried very little about anything. But now… I desperately wanted to worry about her.

So I sat and listened to how her dream had affected her, the deepest fear that had surfaced in me - what I would do to her as I watched her sleep, had been projected to her, she felt the desire, the heightened emotions and the pain I was feeling as I watched her. And she felt the thirst.

"Jasper… how do you live with it?" She whispered, leaning back against the pillows.

"I have to." She turned onto her side, curled up and looked at me, her eyes shining bright because of the tears she wouldn't let fall. "But I guess it gets easier."

"Easier?!" She yelped. "How on earth could it get easier?" I considered it.

"It's like… well, it's like smoking. You've done it for years, and then you want to quit." She nodded and smiled, but I could feel the uncertainty in her emotions. "You've never smoked. So you don't know what it's like." She nodded.

"Yeah, kinda." Another pause. "But I see what you mean. It's hard to start off with and then you get used to it… the addiction wanes and in the end…" I felt myself nodding and she went to take my hand. I shook my head and stood up from the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I want to go out for a bit." I paused, "Clear my head."

"B-but…" She looked at me and frowned, "You said you didn't want to leave me on my own."

I stared at her as I realised she was right. I couldn't leave her on her own, I couldn't leave her here without protection of some kind, because if Alice or Edward found out she was still there, I know she wouldn't stand a chance. I looked at her for a long minute and realised either way, I was risking her personal safety. I was risking her life by staying, and I was risking it by leaving to clear my head. I had to make a decision, and the longer I left it, the longer it stayed up in the air, I would be able to outfox Alice. As long as I didn't make up my mind until I was where I needed to be, I would be able to keep her safe. Alice wouldn't see her future, the future without me, and I wouldn't be anywhere near enough to hurt her.

I got up and stepped forward, kissed her forehead and smiled.

"I'll be back." I murmured, still trying to make up my mind. The door closed behind me and I shut my eyes, took a long walk down the stairs, and out into the night.

****

Alice's POV

I sat outside the window, watching her sleep, watching him watch her sleep. Seeing what was going to happen only seconds before it did. I cringed inwardly as I saw her screaming, no Jasper by her side, but then, as she took a deep breath an started to shake, I saw him by her side, holding her tight, the vision flashing across my eyes, then, as I blinked, seeing it for real.

I nearly screamed, but held my breath as I watched him get up, kiss her forehead, and leave through the room door. I closed my eyes and saw two different scenarios - he left and I went in to see her, or he came back and I got caught. Either way, I was going to go and speak to her.

I gave it a minute and a half, long enough for Jasper to get out of the building, and slid the window open.

Graye gave a start as she heard the window snap shut behind me; I cringed slightly and waited for her to look at me. She jumped to her feet, clad in only her underwear as she tried to protect herself from me. There wasn't a lot of protection around, though, so she ended up with her schoolbag and a kettle. She whimpered as I took a step towards her, she took a step back in reply. Her voice was weak and she looked pathetic.

Undecided, I looked into the future, tried to see what I should do. If I stepped forward once more, it appeared she would lay dead in this room, Jasper crying over her body. If I took a step back, she would leave unscathed. I took a deep breath and stepped away, taking a seat where my husband had sat only minutes before.

Then I realised he wouldn't be my husband for much longer. If she stayed alive, if she stayed here, I wouldn't get my Jazzy back. Which was what I wanted… no. It was what I needed, more than anything. A sacrifice I couldn't make.

"Please…" She murmured, "Don't hurt me Alice…" My heart went out to her, it really did. But I couldn't leave her be. I crossed the room and gripped her shoulders, her hair flew everywhere, spreading her scent all around. She squeaked as I released her, threw her against the wall, choking on the beautiful cinnamon scent emanating from her, sensing her pulse quickening, her heartbeat thundering in my ears.

What the hell was I doing? _Getting Jasper back._ But… if he was happy- _He was happy with_ _me!_ And now he's happy with her… I grabbed her by the throat, overturning my compassionate impulses almost immediately. I could scare her. _That would work._ I could frighten her… or I could simply drink her dry, leave her here for Jasper to find… and await the consequences.

****

Jasper's POV

I pushed the door open less than twenty minutes later, my fear of hurting her gone. I had been to the nearest open store, bought her clothes that were stylish, quite cheap and would fit - fitting with the excuse that she had gone shopping with Bella perfectly. Something was wrong as I stepped into the room, but I couldn't place it.

I saw her lying still on the bed, cold, in her underwear still, her skin pale in the early morning light, her lips slightly parted. She looked as though she wasn't breathing either. The pile of bags fell to the floor as the world caved in around me. I could smell a vampire in here. Alice. She had come in while I was away and done God knows what to Graye…

I ran to her side, not daring to touch her, unwilling to hurt her more. I nearly screamed as I noticed the note resting on the pillow beside Graye's head, scrawled in Alice's handwriting. It made me feel sick to read it, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.

_Next Time, Jasper. _

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Well then... Lets have some interesting reactions to this please!! (In other words, hit the lovely review button...)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	12. Emmet's Not In This Chapter

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

**_I'm sorry it's short, but it's short for *effect*_**

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_It made me feel sick to read it, but I couldn't take my eyes off it._

_Next Time, Jasper. _

_~*~_

My mind went into overdrive when I realised I could react once more. I threw the note aside, pressed my lips to her forehead and sat down beside her. I pulled her into a sitting position and wrapped my arms around her again, feeling her breathing in my grip, feeling her heartbeat next to where mine should have been. She screamed as her eyes fluttered open, then, as I put my palm against her cheek, shook and closed her mouth again, whimpering, her body shaking against mine as I held her tight.

When she realised who was holding her, she stiffened and pushed me away again. I locked my arms around her and didn't let her go, even when she hammered her fist against my chest.

"Get off-" She tried to push me away again, "Please, Jasper, I-"

"What's wrong?" I murmured, running my hand through her hair as I kept her close to me, my other arm still tight around her. "What did Alice do to you? Did she hurt you? What did she say?"

But she shook her head.

"Graye, please-"

"I can't."

"Why not?" I brought my hand up to touch her cheek. For a human, she was freezing. "I got you some clothes, you can…" I gestured to the mess on the floor. "You were unconscious… I kind of dropped them." She made a small noise in the back of her throat, a kind of half laugh, and left her fear behind for a couple of seconds. It soon returned as she looked into my eyes.

"I can't accept those, Jasper." She murmured, her hands shaking. I released her slowly and pressed my lips to her forehead. She tried to push me away again, but failed miserably. Her chest was pounding, but I was stunned at the lack of bloodlust within me. It was as though my thirst had abandoned me because I was scared for her.

"What?! Why not?" I yelped, pulling her closer again. Her cinnamon scent hit me again and I tensed, my chest aching horrifically. "Graye… please, tell me what the hell is going on!"

"A-alice…" She whimpered, "She told me if I… if I-"

"If you what, Graye?" I watched her as she turned away from me deliberately, hiding her eyes, forgetting her emotions were as plain to me as the colour of her eyes, as the soft curve of her lips… I blinked a couple of times and looked at her, my head wanting desperately to explode. It was making me furious.

"Alice told me if I stayed near you I would get hurt…" Another pause, "She would hurt me." her hands shook as she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and sniffed. "And she'd make sure you knew it was her…" I had to let her emotions flood me and they forced me to break down beside her. She sniffed and curled up on her side, tears sliding from her eyes, across her nose and down her cheek, dripping into the fabric of the duvet.

I joined her on the duvet, my hand absent-mindedly slipping through her hair as I lay beside her, wishing, once more, that I was human, that I could cry. It infuriated me, and it hurt me, because I couldn't be the same as her. She sniffed and raised her hand to mine, I half-expected her to push me away, to replace my hand by my side and not let me touch her again. She smiled though, as she curled her fingers around mine. I could feel the tiny pulse in her thumb, rushing blood through her veins as she lay there, oblivious to the battle going on inside her because of her biology, and the battle waging within me because of my decisions. She whimpered as I leaned close to her, let my lips rest against her cheek and dared to murmur the words I knew would set a chain in motion that couldn't be stopped. I had decided what would happen now, and I would see what the hell would happen in the end.

"I'll protect you, Graye. Whatever it takes."

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Well then... Lets have some interesting reactions to this please!! (In other words, hit the lovely review button...)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	13. Graye's Lucky

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

**_I'm baaaaaaaack!! *readers rejoice/cry/REVIEW!* For a full explanation, read my newest story, "Swing Swing." It ... explains a fair amount..._**

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_"I'll protect you, Graye. Whatever it takes."_

---xxx---

She rubbed her eyes and smiled at me the next morning, I think she was surprised that I had held her in my arms overnight, because she stared into my eyes for a long second, closed her own and smiled serenely.

"Morning, Jasper." She murmured, leaning against me again. My fingers slid through her hair, I rose and nodded to her. "Where'r-"

"I'll be back in a minute." she nodded and I watched her bite her lip, looking down at the floor. Her emotions were radiant in the mornings, very strong, very raw. Right now, she was tearing herself up for something. I wasn't sure what - she hadn't done anything wrong. Within a minute, I had returned to her, having found the clothes I had bought last night for her, they were in a pile at the back of the room, folded neatly… which I didn't remember doing, but… there hadn't been anyone else in here last night… I sniffed the air and stiffened.

I sighed as she looked up at me, expecting something, although I didn't know exactly what. Her fingers gripped the covers tightly, she raised herself into a sitting position and sighed, then realised that she was wearing less than she had thought. She jerked the covers up over herself and wrapped herself up; I couldn't help but smile at her confusion.

"It's OK… I didn't do anything to you-"

"Did I say you did?" She retorted almost furiously and I blinked at her, stunned. Shame quickly engulfed me, along with a burst of the amazing scent of her blood. "Sorry." She said to her knees, almost inaudibly, "I don't do well in the mornings." I shrugged.

"At least you didn't try to take my head off." I forced a laugh and she smiled at me with a deep, penetrating blush.

"Can you give me some clothes? It doesn't matter which ones…" I threw her one of the piles and excused myself so she could change. When I came back, I couldn't help but stare at her for a second longer than would be seen as appropriate - her hair, neatly brushed by a comb I hadn't noticed, hung in gentle waves, framing her face in a way Alice's hair could never achieve. She smiled at me awkwardly and ran her fingers through it. I smiled back.

"Breakfast." I heard the word echo in the room, but wasn't sure which of us had spoken it aloud. "You need to eat-" That'll be me, then. She looked at me, stunned, and shook her head.

"I'm alright… I have to shower-"

"You need to eat." I repeated, my voice sounding deadlier than I thought it ever could.

"O-ok." She nodded, her face paling slightly. Who knew I could be so persuasive? As she moved towards the doorway, she never took her eyes from mine. When she realised I wasn't coming, her eyes flickered to the doorway again, and her shoulders dropped. "Are you coming… or are you-"

"I'll be down in a minute." I was speaking again without conscious thought. Things in my brain were clicking without conscious reasoning and it frightened me slightly. I rubbed my eyes, even though I knew it wouldn't help. She knew I didn't sleep, didn't get tired.

"OK…" She smiled at me again and I folded my arms, watched her leave through the front door and waited for her footsteps to disappear into the elevator.

Thankfully, she hadn't pressed the shower issue. I stormed into the bathroom and threw aside the shower-curtain. Alice, my petite, soon-to-be-ex, was sat, quite comfortably, in the tub.

"Alice." I wasn't impressed.

"Jasper…" She tried to play it off. "I-"

"Just leave." I said, furious. She rose but made no further movements. "Alice. Get out."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…" She folded her arms pathetically again and I folded mine. "I love you."

"And that's not weird, is it?" I indicated our surroundings. "You can't be here." I wanted to throw her out of the window, just to prove a point. "You hurt Graye." her eyes widened slightly.

"Not permanently." She offered a tiny smirk and I had to resist the growl that rose in my throat. "Just frightened her a bit."

"You hurt me too. You had to take it too far." She looked at me, genuinely saddened. I shrugged and turned away, finding my jacket. "I want you gone by the time I get back." I threw the room key into my pocket and left the room, making sure I slammed the door behind me, making sure she knew I wasn't pleased.

I took the elevator down to the breakfast room too, still able to faintly smell Graye's cinnamon scent in the tiny metal box. I choked on it as I focussed on it, barely able to contain my desire for her blood. I thought back to my last meal. Squirrels. Hardly filling, but useful for a quick-fix solution. Edward had been known to feed on rats in dire situations… I was just following his lead. It wasn't exactly tasty, but I could handle it.

I would handle it.

I would handle everything I bloody well could. Graye needed me… I needed her. I laughed to myself as I stepped out of the elevator and looked over to the dining area, straight through the lobby, ignoring everyone in between. Graye had her head down, her fingers nesting comfortably in her hair. She seemed to be reading the newspaper, but, as she felt my eyes on her, she turned and gazed straight back at me. Her half-smile was stunning, built purely out of embarrassment and, simultaneously, joy. As she went to wave, I did the same, feeling more human, more normal than I had ever done.

I joined her at the table, stared at the wedge of melon she had placed on a plate, simply for show, pulled the chair out with a deafening scraping sound, and sat beside her.

"Thanks." I whispered to her, half expecting her to not reply.

"I should say the same to you."

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Well then... Lets have some interesting reactions to this please!! (In other words, hit the lovely review button...)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	14. Jasper's Fighting

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_"Thanks." I whispered to her, half expecting her to not reply._

_"I should say the same to you."_

---xxJasperxx---

I looked at her, my thoughts turning over a million questions.

"Why're you thanking me?" She blushed and closed her eyes again. "It's not as if I've... you know. Done you any personal favours, recently, darlin'."

She laughed lightly and rolled her eyes at me.

"Not for, you know... _personal favours_." She laughed again, looking down at the melon on her plate. "Just... you know..." I shook my head as she trailed off hopelessly.

"I think I can say I don't." She sighed and looked up at me through her mess of hair.

"Damn helpful, you are."

"Hey, I do my best."

She smiled at me and picked my hand up gently from the table, turned it over and traced where my pulse should have been. Staring into my eyes for a long second, she bit her bottom lip and looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"You've been the nicest, most perfect gentleman, Jasper." She said. "Pathetic, aren't I?"

"No." I shook my head and put my arm around her shoulders. Her emotions were closely guarded at that second, somewhere a mix between desire and humiliation. "I think it's cute."

She punched me lightly in the arm and shook her head.

"I'm not hungry." She murmured, blinking a couple more times and standing up. "I don't think i'm ever going to be hungry again." I looked at her as she went to stride past me, tears already streaking down her face. Before I could think, I was on my feet, catching her wrist, holding her hand, pulling her against me.

Oh, For God's Sake. I was kissing her. Again.

She turned me into mush. Pathetic mush. She turned me human. It lasted about thirty seconds, an amazing, thoughtless thirty seconds, before I regained control of my functions and managed to pull away.

Her fingers slid down my arm and she took a deep breath, her cheek now against my lips. The gentle intake of oxygen left me reeling – every breath she took sent her body shaking, pressed against me as it was, it left me stunned. Stunned that I could want something other than her blood.

I closed my eyes and pulled her towards the elevator.

"But I thought-"

"Don't think." I murmured, "And don't be scared."

I knew I was risking a hell of a lot, but I wanted to try. If I could keep my mind off her scent. If I could just keep focussed on something else. A million ifs and buts ran through my head, sending my brain into dysfunction and my emotions whirling around me.

As I waited for the elevator with her, holding her hand, silently, subtly feeling her pulse, loathe to pull away for fear of severing my connection with the only human my vampire self had ever cared about... I realised she was shaking. Nervous.

"Is this you?" I murmured, "Are you frightened?"

"No." She blurted. "Well, I wasn't." Her grip around my fingers tightened reflexively and she leaned closer to me, her arm touching mine.

A week ago, I would have lunged for her. Hell, when I was sitting on her bed in the middle of the night, I nearly lost it. I nearly went for her then. I hated myself for it, because I realised then that there was something else about her. As soon as she'd arced herself out of that damn pool, I knew it wasn't just the smell of her blood that was attracting me.

She looked at me and smiled as the elevator _dinged_ itself open, and a young couple stepped out. The woman took more than a cursory look at me, double taking as she saw who I was standing with. Disgust rippled through her and I couldn't help letting out a furious growl.

Graye looked at me as she stepped forward, attempting to get into the elevator without anyone following us. I smiled at her, focussing on the colour of her eyes as she looked over at me, as the doors slid smoothly shut and I saw the last hope of her escaping slide mercilessly away from us.

She didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, then, as she moved to tie her shoelace, and a wave of her scent shifted the air around me, she let out an apologetic squeak.

"Graye?" I tried to remember my own name as I looked at her, my eyesight sharpening and my ears taking not of her heightening pulse. "Graye, I don't want to feel like this. Let go of my-my-m-"

This had been a stupid idea. This was ridiculous, this was pointless. I was going to kill her... I was going to hurt her... I was going to do everything I had set myself not to do.

And then it hit me. The huge wave of disinterest. And for a second, it threw me. I couldn't work out why I wasn't interested, why I just didn't care.

And I looked at her. Her face was screwed up in concentration and she was staring at a spot on the wall, not looking at me. I went to speak, but she must have heard me breathe, because she shook her head.

"I'm not interested..." She murmured, still pushing the emotion onto me. I couldn't handle it any longer. She was doing her best to help me, she was being the person I wished I could be – the considerate, certain, strong, kind person.

And she was doing it to help me.

I couldn't take it any more. I stepped forward and brought her lips up to mine, pulling her against me and kissing her with all my might. Her disinterest quickly dissipated and she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer, sliding her fingers into my hair. I mirrored her, she pulled back to breathe and the doors _dinged_ open softly.

The whole exchange had taken less than thirty-five seconds. And I felt more alive than I had ever done before.

Graye stepped towards the threshold of the elevator, waiting in the corridor for me. I took a deep, mind-clearing breath and stepped towards her, holding out my hand. She smiled and took it, this time, the first time since we'd met, she didn't react to the cold, to the solid marble that was my skin.

"Graye?" I murmured as I pressed her up against the wall, opening our room door with my other hand, "What the hell was that?" She looked up at me, smiled and kissed my nose gently. He scent washed over me and I clenched my fist into the doorhandle. It crunched beneath my fingers and she winced as I pulled it away.

"That, Jasper, was quick thinking." She pulled my lips down to hers again, catching my self-control off-guard. The venom filled my mouth slowly and I hissed gently. She pulled back and tried her best to push me away.

I smiled as I regained my control, bent down again, and kissed her. Quick thinking indeed.

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Well then... Lets have some interesting reactions to this please!! (In other words, hit the lovely review button...)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	15. Graye's Bleeding

_**DisclaimER: I don't own anything you recognise, that's Stephenie Meyer's thing. **_

_**Hope you enjoy **_

_**---xxx---**_

_I smiled as I regained my control, bent down again, and kissed her. Quick thinking indeed._

--Graye--

The drive back to Forks was quiet and relaxed, the mirror image of our drive out here in every respect. Jasper had wanted to stay in Seattle for another day, but I was sure my mother would have either shot me as soon as I'd walked through the door, or called Chief Swan. Which would have been neither productive, nor fun.

And I wouldn't have been able to see Jasper again. Because now... well, that was all I wanted to do. To be close to him, and to talk to him, and to ask him how in the hell he got this way. I looked out of the window at the road signs flashing by and decided I didn't want to look at the speedometer on the dashboard, for both the safety of my stomach, and the safety of the car's interior. I didn't want to give Edward or Rosalie another reason to want me dead. One or two was enough.

"You're coming home with me." Jasper broke the silence very suddenly as he turned the corner.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"I did. And I think you've gone insane." I bit the inside of my lip and looked at him, trying not to get angry. "You want to take me to the place full of the..." I didn't want to say people. It was too _human_... "The creatures that want to kill me?" another pause, "When they _want _to _**kill **_me?" The sarcastic applause froze in my chest as I calmed suddenly. "Jasper, let me be mad, please." I went to touch his hand and he braked suddenly, flinging his arm out across my chest.

"Damn, Graye. Put your seatbelt on, will you?" He'd just realised, or was he changing the subject?

"Yes Boss." I retorted in my most Scottish of accents. It was strange to think i'd only been away from home for a month but I felt like my accent was the only thing connecting me with the UK, and it was fading away more and more every day. Even so, I had a lot here that I didn't want to lose out on.

"Hello?" My head snapped up as I thought Jasper was talking to me. Turns out it was his mother... what was her name...

"_Esme" _We spoke the same word simultaneously and Jasper looked across at me.

"Yes, Esme, I'm fine. I'm with Graye, and I'm bringing her home." A pause, "No, not to her house yet. She's coming to ours." Another longer pause, "Well, I don't care if Edward's pissed at her. She's my girlfriend-" He stopped as my emotions changed to that of elation. It wasn't just my emotion though. I wasn't elated. I was overjoyed, but never more nervous than now. The elation was all Jasper. And I smiled to myself as I thought it. "She's my girlfriend," He repeated in a far softer tone, smiling down at me.

For a minute I forgot we were in a silver Volvo on the side of the road, looking at each other with stupid grins on our faces and a bright blush on my cheeks. Jasper was grinning at me as he leaned down and kissed me very gently on the lips, then pulled back and returned to the phone in his hand.

"I don't care how pissed Edward is going to be," he repeated, "She's my girlfriend, and I think you should meet her." his fingers were drawing circles across the pulse in my wrist. Strange – I didn't even remember him taking my hand, but there he was, holding my wrist gently, but tightly, his fingers twisting the blood in my body, forcing it to pulse through my veins faster and faster...

and then just as suddenly as he'd started, he'd realised his mistake and opened all the windows in the car.

"Keep your pulse slow, Graye." I looked over at him, "I know you're scared."

"Fat lot of good you are at reading emotions then, aren't you?" I couldn't help retort, and I heard a gasp from the tiny speaker in the phone. Jasper heard it too and looked down at the handset, then sighed and pressed it to his ear.

"We'll be home in an hour, Esme." He growled, shutting the clamshell with a snap, and turning to me. "I know you're not scared. But Esme doesn't know I'm the one that's terrified." He paused and looked at me, unashamed to display the emotions he had been holding in for a long time. "Do you know how I feel when I'm with you?"

"No..." I looked at him and tilted my head, unsure of where this was going. In a flash he had pulled me into his lap and was holding me tight as we sat in the car on the side of the road.

"Do you want to feel it?" A long pause where he touched my cheek and forced me to face him very slowly. I didn't break eye contact in the long seconds that it took for me to nod and for the wave of hell to overcome me.

A billion things hit me at once – worry that I was going to hurt myself, that someone else was going to hurt me, that I would do something wrong and hurt me... I saw it all through Jasper's eyes. The love and adoration that had taken a back seat in the past three weeks, the undercurrents of desire, lust... the burning thirst, the solid strength... how he felt he should be feeling – the hatred for the people that wanted to hurt me, the pain it was causing him to hate his brother and his sister... to hate his family.

Jasper realised I was screaming before I did. There was the pain that was hurting me physically too, the pain that the flood of emotions had caused, because that flood had pulled up the thirst for blood. The one emotion, that hunger, that he couldn't hide any more.

His hand very gently pulled mine away from my mouth – I hadn't even realised I was biting it, biting it to stop the need, to stop the screaming. He forced my fingers into his, and couldn't look down at the mess of my hand for the longest time. I could taste blood on my lips and loved it, but as he reigned in his emotions and stopped my perverse thirst, I felt sick. I looked down at my fingers and nearly fainted, then looked back up at my boyfriend. _My Boyfriend. _

I swallowed as he leaned in close to me and brushed his lips against the back of my hand. My mind was numb as he brought the bite marks to his lips, and I felt my throat go dry as he kissed the blood away. His hand was shaking on top of mine. His fingertips brushed against the marks and I hissed, pain shooting up my arm. He looked as though he was going to be sick, and he looked as though I was on the menu for lunch.

Slowly, I pulled my hand from his grip, wrapped a tissue around the blood and stuck it out of the window.

"For god's sake, Jasper." I looked over at him, seeing an orange tint creeping into his eyes. There was a greenness about them I hadn't noticed in the false light of the hotel. "Drive."

He grunted and nodded, swallowing loudly. The half-hour drive moved along in silence. I felt sick, alone with my thoughts.

_But he hadn't killed me. I had bled in front of him, and he hadn't killed me. _Perversely, the only coherent thought I could come up with, was _**result.**_

---

**Hope you enjoyed? **

**Well then... Lets have some interesting reactions to this please!! (In other words, hit the lovely review button...)**

**Love ya**

**xxx**


	16. Emmet's Not Blonde

_**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to Ms. S. Meyer.**_

_**Hello, *cowers* Lostmidtranslation here, on location and cowering in a corner. Please don't kill me. I'm pretty sad that it's been so long since i've updated. I feel rotten. I've been busy and ill and uninspired. HOWEVER. This is back, and hopefully, totally *bangin* . **_

_**And I want you to tell me if you liked this. Please, please, please let me know. If you're annoyed at the gap between updates, please let me know, JUST REVIEW! Hahaha ...**_

-x-

_I could taste blood. I could taste blood. I could taste blood. _

I tried to suppress it. I tried to look at her. I tried to focus on her. Her fingers, bent up in pain. The blood on her hand. _The blood._

"Graye?" She coughed and looked at me, pale and wide eyed. "How badly does it hurt?"

"Not a lot." She lied easily, but I didn't call her on it. I could see it in her eyes and I knew if I said anything, she would probably blame herself. Her eyes flickered away from me, out of the now open window, and she refused to look at me. Five minutes before we pulled up into Forks, I pulled over and waited for her to look at me. The silence was practically murder, and my head was screaming at me to talk to her.

"Talk to me-"

"I'm alright, Jasper." She lied again, and this time I knew it - her words were punctuated by a wave of fear and anxiety through her chest, and straight into mine.

"Graye, you're scared." She blinked twice and looked at me, "I can feel it, and I don't know what's making it happen." I leaned over and took her hand, the one that still had blood on it. Swallowing back the venom, I looked into her eyes and smiled slightly, "I want to stop it from happening."

"They want to kill me, Jasper. The second you're strong enough not to hurt me, even when I'm bleeding-"

"I won't let them hurt you, Graye-"

"I know you don't want to let them, but…there's only one of you." She looked at me, turned to me, touched my cheek and ran her fingers up the side of my face. I leaned into the comfortable, searing warmth and she smiled sadly. "And there's quite a few of them… and the last time I attempted to defend myself against one of them… I ended up with this-" She displayed the bruise on her wrist which Emmett had inflicted only a day before.

"I know, I know, but they won't. I'm sure of it-" I said, and her gaze softened. "I want you to trust me, Graye, I'd never hurt you intentionally, I'd never take you somewhere I wouldn't go-"

"I know." She nodded and I leaned over towards her, desperate to kiss her just so she could feel how much I needed her to believe me. She leaned back and away and scrubbed at her lips before she would look at me though.

"Wha-"

"Blood on my lips," She grinned, "I don't want you to kill me because I kissed you."

"I like your logic…" My lips slipped across her face, from her cheek to her lips anyway, and she bit back a groan in her chest as she let me in, her fingers reaching up to slide into my hair.

I pulled away reluctantly two minutes later, her fingers lingered in her hair and she licked her lips slightly as she pulled away, staring into my eyes.

"What?" I felt self-conscious all of a sudden - it was strange as well, because I hadn't felt like this in perhaps seventy years, and it made me feel so… human and new.

"D-did your eyes used to be green?"

"Sorry?" _How did she know that? I'd never even told Edward or Alice my eyes were green-_

"Did they used to be green?" She said with a little more confidence that time, "You can see… in your eyes, just tiny like, remnants of it." I swallowed out of habit and looked at her, really looked at her. I could see every little scar on her face - she had one just above her left eye, one more about six millimetres from her hairline, and one just by her ear.

"Nobody's ever noticed that, ever." She smiled at me as I spoke and blushed heavily, her blood flushing me with its scent. Our faces were only an inch or so apart, but, as she blushed, I leaned forward slightly, our noses touched and she gasped slightly. Cinnamon and nutmeg washed over me and my stomach clenched in the nicest of ways. Smiling lightly, she pulled away and looked away, at the floor. "Nobody - not even my family."

"Well… I'm glad I-"

"Thank you." I leaned over and pressed my lips lightly to hers. "I-"

"Not a problem." She grinned at me and happily accepted another kiss. Her fingers reluctantly moved from my shirt after a few moments, then she looked away and reached to the radio, settling on a station which played the sort of simple, easy music that allowed her to relax slightly.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes." She squeaked a couple of seconds later. "Lets go."

I gunned the engine and revved it a little, just because I knew it would piss Edward off. Her lips curved into a slight smile and she rested her head back on the rest, shut her eyes and let out a long, happy breath.

"Listen, Graye, when we get to the house, would you stand beside me on my left?" I said just before we turned up our driveway. "I don't think they'll try anything, but my right side is strongest." She nodded silently, and I felt a slight fear beginning to bubble up in my chest. She smiled at me, trying to keep herself tied down to one emotion. I felt a bubble of serenity burst through the fear as her eyes locked with mine and she smiled.

We turned into the gravel driveway and she tensed as she glanced out of the window.

"What is it?"

"I saw someone." I knew they'd be down the drive, waiting for us.

"Who do you think it was?" I said.

"I-they were blonde, I think." She swallowed and looked down at the car mat, staring at the weave. Her face went bright pink and her scent washed over me, and I was stunned. Not because I wanted to kill her. Not because I wanted her blood.

Because I didn't fret about it. That was what stunned me as I pulled up on the driveway and saw Carlisle standing on the front porch with Esme. They'd both sensed us coming, Esme was looking at Graye through the windshield and smiling.

I braked and let out a breath I didn't need to hold.

"Graye?" She didn't move for a second. "Graye?"

"I'm scared." She muttered, and in that moment, without even reaching out to take her emotions and make them change, I knew in my heart that I couldn't do it anymore. I was hurting her, and I had told myself… I had promised myself I would keep her safe.

I reached my hand out to hers and I took it, just sitting there beside her. We didn't speak for all of five minutes, she just held my hand, and I held hers, trying to comfort her before I put her through the hardest part of her life so far.

"I won't make you do anything. I'll…" _I'll try and protect you. _But I won't tell you that to your face. If I break a promise, it'll be to myself.

I wanted to be the Romeo to her Juliet… No, I needed to be that to her. I swallowed hard and captured her lips with my own, then stepped from the car and into the rare sunlight that was creeping through the trees.I stepped forward, and then felt someone take my hand.

Sparkling met satin-soft as she slid her slim fingers into mine. She squeezed my hand.

"I won't make you do this alone."

~...~

-x-

_**A/N: SO. **_

_**One – Please review. You're all fantastic and I love ALL of my readers. PLEASE review so I know you love me too!**_

_**Two – If you want to know what i've "really" been doing all the way through this gap, check out the harry potter fics i've got up and am updating regularly - "For Who You Are" (in-progress) and "Swing,Swing" (Now complete, from about 6 weeks ago) *eep* **_

_**Three- Stick around – Please. I'll be back with more – how could I leave you like this!?**_

_**Now, remember the following: I LOVE YOU ALL (but not in a creepy way)**_

_**Love ya**_

_**xxxx**_


End file.
